Carolee Schneemann, a multidisciplinary artist, transformed the definition of art in the 1960s, especially discourse on the body, sexuality, and gender.

Vito Acconci is one of the founders of contemporary art as we know it. His writings, performances, and installations have inspired and opened doors for countless artists. In recent years, his career has shifted to running a studio of architects trying to find a "fluid space."

We meet the Kabakovs on a cold February day in their installation The Empty Museum inside the Sculpture Center in Long Island City. It is a large room that looks like a classic nineteenth-century European museum gallery. The spotlights on the wall show there are no paintings being exhibited.

"Rirkrit Tiravanija is arguably the most influential artist of his generation," says Laura Hoptman, the organizer of the Carnegie International. He has transformed the notion of conceptual art by taking his environments out of the museum to the ends of the earth.

Marina Abramović may be best known for her historically pivotal performances of the 1970s. In 1974, for example, she created the now famous "Rhythm O," where she stood in a gallery space for six hours, leaving instructions to those who entered to use one of 72 objects placed on the table on her person in any way they wished.

Tehching Hsieh is a pioneer of Performance Art. He has been called a “master” by Marina Abramovic and appears in almost every book written on the subject. He did six extraordinary one-year performances.