2 Wings for Wall and Person [bottom row, panel A]
1979-1981
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
photo-etching on Arches Satine wove paper
Dimensions
image: 130.8 x 613.4 cm (51 1/2 x 241 1/2 in.) sheet: 65.4 x 101.6 cm (25 3/4 x 40 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Kathan Brown
Accession Number
1997.8.13
Art Historical Context
Vito Acconci's *2 Wings for Wall and [bottom row, panel]* (1979-1981) is a striking photo-etching on luxurious Arches Satine w paper, exemplifying the artist's shift from provocative performance art in the 1970s to explorations of space, body, and architecture. As a pioneering figure in conceptual and body art, Acconci here blurs boundaries between viewer, wall, and artwork, with the title evoking "wings" that extend human presence into architectural environments. This panel, part of a larger multi-panel composition, invites contemplation of how prints can activate physical space. The medium—...
About the Artist
Vito Acconci
Vito Hannibal Acconci was born on January 24, 1940, in the Bronx, New York, to Italian immigrant parents as their only son, named after his ailing grandfather. Raised in a supportive household that encouraged artistic pursuits, he attended Roman Catholic schools, including Regis High School, where classrooms lacked female students until graduate school. Acconci earned a BA in literature from the C...