Eleanor Antin: Time's Arrow
Eleanor Antin: Time's Arrow
Eleanor Antin (b. 1935) is one of the most important artists of her generation and a pioneer of performance and conceptual art in Southern California. In 1972, she challenged definitions of sculpture, self-portraiture, photographic documentation, and performance with CARVING: A Traditional Sculpture. Consisting of 148 black-and-white photographs, CARVING shows the transformation of Antin’s body as she lost 10 pounds over 37 days.
In 2017, Antin restaged her landmark performance. In CARVING: 45 Years Later, the artist again documented herself as she “carved” her body, producing 500 black-and-white photographs over the course of 100 days. Eleanor Antin: Time's Arrow brings together both CARVING series, a new self-portrait, and a related serial work from the 1970s, provoking reflection on discipline, vulnerability, and the passage of time.
This exhibition was organized by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, with the Art Institute of Chicago.
All exhibitions at LACMA are underwritten by the LACMA Exhibition Fund. Major annual support is provided by Mr. and Mrs. Anthony and Lee Shaw, Kitzia and Richard Goodman, Jerry and Kathleen Grundhofer, Meredith and David Kaplan, and Jeffrey Saikhon, with generous annual funding from the Judy and Bernard Briskin Family Foundation, Louise and Brad Edgerton, Edgerton Foundation, Emily and Teddy Greenspan, Marilyn B. and Calvin B. Gross, Mary and Daniel James, David Lloyd and Kimberly Steward, Kelsey Lee Offield, David Schwartz Foundation, Inc., Andy Song, Lenore and Richard Wayne, and The Kenneth T. and Eileen L. Norris Foundation.
Eleanor Antin, CARVING: 45 Years Later (detail, first day of 2017 performance, March 7, 2017, 9:25 am, 130.6 lbs), 2017, © Eleanor Antin, courtesy of the artist and Ronald Feldman Gallery, New York
- May 12–Jul 28, 2019
- Art of the Americas Building, Level 2
This exhibition was organized by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, with the Art Institute of Chicago.
All exhibitions at LACMA are underwritten by the LACMA Exhibition Fund. Major annual support is provided by Mr. and Mrs. Anthony and Lee Shaw, Kitzia and Richard Goodman, Jerry and Kathleen Grundhofer, Meredith and David Kaplan, and Jeffrey Saikhon, with generous annual funding from the Judy and Bernard Briskin Family Foundation, Louise and Brad Edgerton, Edgerton Foundation, Emily and Teddy Greenspan, Marilyn B. and Calvin B. Gross, Mary and Daniel James, David Lloyd and Kimberly Steward, Kelsey Lee Offield, David Schwartz Foundation, Inc., Andy Song, Lenore and Richard Wayne, and The Kenneth T. and Eileen L. Norris Foundation.
Eleanor Antin, CARVING: 45 Years Later (detail, first day of 2017 performance, March 7, 2017, 9:25 am, 130.6 lbs), 2017, © Eleanor Antin, courtesy of the artist and Ronald Feldman Gallery, New York
Media
In this video, Antin discusses both CARVING series and reflects on having the two works shown together at LACMA.