3 Flags for 1 Space and 6 Regions [lower left panel]
1979-1981
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
photo-etching on Rives BFK paper
Dimensions
image: 59.7 x 78.7 cm (23 1/2 x 31 in.) sheet: 59.7 x 78.7 cm (23 1/2 x 31 in.) overall size (overall dimensions for six sheets): 178.8 x 157.5 cm (70 3/8 x 62 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Kathan Brown
Accession Number
1997.8.5
Art Historical Context
Vito Acconci's *3 Flags for 1 and 6 Regions [lower left panel]* (1979-1981) is a striking photo-etching on Rives BFK paper a premium cotton rag favored for its rich texture and quality in fine art prints. This lower left panel measures 59.7 x 78.7 cm, forming part of a monumental six-sheet composition spanning 178.8 x 157.5 cm. Acconci, a pioneering conceptual and performance artist of the 1970s, here explores themes of space, territory, and identity through the motif of flags, evoking questions about division, unity, and mapping in an era of geopolitical flux. The photo-etching technique ble...
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...