Chair for Sacco and Vanzetti Reading Room
Artist
Siah Armajani
(American, born Iran, 1939 - 2020)
Date1989
MediumSteel and wood
DimensionsOverall: 43 × 20 × 26 5/8 inches (109.22 × 50.8 × 67.64 cm)
Credit LineGift of Martin and Mildred Friedman
Object numberF96-40 A-C
On View
Not on viewCollections
DescriptionStrongly rectilinear chair constructed of green, formed steel frame with green-stained fir plywood seat and five broad ladder-back slats. Front and back legs on both sides are connected at floor level by single horizontal struts made of same formed steel, which extend aproximately 1-1/2 inches beyond front legs. Wooden backrest of chair angles back slightly at approximately 10 degree angle forming a wedge with back plane of chair and extends above steel upright supports approximately 1-1/2 inches.Gallery LabelThis chair is an element from Siah Armajani's Sacco and Vanzetti Reading Room #3 (1988), which was installed at the Museum of Modern Art in Frankfurt, Germany. Simple in style, it recalls Shaker, American vernacular, and Russian Constructivist design and expresses the social egalitarianism associated with these styles.
The chair is a further reference to a controversial court case in American history. In 1927, Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, Italian immigrant social activists, were executed for the crime of murder. Conflicting evidence, lost court documents, and counter charges of scape-goating put America's judicial system on trial as well. Armajani's Chair for Sacco and Vanzetti Reading Room draws together these multiple references, locating aesthetics within the lived realm of conscience and history.
The chair is a further reference to a controversial court case in American history. In 1927, Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, Italian immigrant social activists, were executed for the crime of murder. Conflicting evidence, lost court documents, and counter charges of scape-goating put America's judicial system on trial as well. Armajani's Chair for Sacco and Vanzetti Reading Room draws together these multiple references, locating aesthetics within the lived realm of conscience and history.
Copyright© Estate of Siah Armajani / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Information about a particular artwork or image, including provenance information,
is based upon historic information and may not be currently accurate or complete.
Research on artwork and images is an ongoing process, and the information about a
particular artwork or image may not reflect the most current information available to the Museum.
If you notice a mistake or have additional information about a particular artwork or image,
please e-mail provenance@nelson-atkins.org.
