20 Foot Ladder for any Size Wall [III]
1979
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
photo-etching on Rives BFK wove paper
Dimensions
image: 1473.2 x 104.1 cm (580 x 41 in.) sheet: 73.7 x 104.1 cm (29 x 41 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Kathan Brown
Accession Number
1997.8.21
Art Historical Context
Vito Acconci, a pioneering figure in conceptual and performance art during the 1970s, created *20 Foot Ladder for any Wall [III]* in 1979. This work exemplifies his fascination with spatial illusion, the body in architecture, and perceptual tricks. The title playfully nods to a ladder designed—through dramatic foreshortening—to appear perfectly scaled to any wall, blurring the lines between reality and optical deception. Acconci's toward printmaking in the late 1970s allowed him to translate ephemeral performances into enduring images, inviting viewers to question depth and proportion. Render...
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...