Despite having been active for only four years before passing away at the young age of twenty-four, Christopher D’Arcangelo (1955-1979) is widely considered to be a leading figure of Institutional Critique. Even generations later, D’Arcangelo’s singular approach remains wholly unique in its radicality and generosity. This first estate-approved monograph to be published on this important yet understudied American artist illuminates his momentous practice after many decades for the first time.
The publication features materials created and compiled by Christopher D’Arcangelo over the course of his work as an artist, now housed in the Fales Library & Special Collections at New York University, and includes photographs, notes, correspondence, police reports, receipts, floorplans and sketches, arranged in chronological order. Previously unreleased material about his unauthorized performances, which took place in New York’s major public museums, showcase his forward-thinking involvement in Conceptual Art and Institutional Critique.
The publication also includes new contributions from figures who have punctuated D’Arcangelo’s practice—Peter Nadin, Louise Lawler, Daniel Buren, Janelle Reiring, as well as photographic contributions by artist Heji Shin and texts by Nicholas Martin (Curator of Special Collections at the Fales Library), Jay Sanders (Artists Space), and editors Yana Foqué and Isabelle Sully. The book was designed by Marc Hollenstein and printed in Germany in an edition of 1000. It will be available worldwide through our distributor Idea Books and in the US directly via Artists Space.