Vito Acconci (1940-2017)


Name-Calling Chair, 1990Cherry, ebony, and birch veneer plywood sculpture, signed, titled and dated '1984/1990' on plaque, underside, from the edition of 10, published by Carl Solway Gallery, Cincinnati. height 48in (122cm); width 34in (87cm); depth 46in (117cm)
|Considered a conceptual and performance artist as well as a sculptor and an architect, the late artist Vito Acconci's first love was writing, obtaining an MFA in literature and poetry from the University of Iowa's prestigious Iowa Writer's Workshop in 1964. Name Calling Chair could be considered a literal interpretation of a "concrete" poem, as well as a manifestation of the artist's preoccupation with humiliation and self-identified shameful acts, subjects covered in many of his videos from the 1960s as well as his landmark performance work "Seedbed" from 1973.