Artist of the day, September 8-9: Eleanor Antin, performance artist, filmmaker, and installation artist

Eleanor Antin (1935) was born in New York City. An influential performance artist, filmmaker, and installation artist, Antin delves into history—whether of ancient Rome, the Crimean War, the salons of nineteenth-century Europe, or her own Jewish heritage and Yiddish culture—as a way to explore the present. Antin is a cultural chameleon, masquerading in theatrical or stage roles to expose her many selves. .

One of conceptual and performance artist Eleanor Antin’s best-known works, 100 Boots is a work of mail art documenting the staged travels of 100 pairs of black rubber boots, which begin a picaresque adventure in California and end with a whirlwind excursion through New York. 100 Boots was presented as part of MoMA’s Projects series, created in 1971 as “a series of small exhibitions presented to inform the public about current researches and explorations in the visual arts.” This crucible for new art by emerging artists was the first program of its kind in the U.S., and it plays a key role in MoMA’s contemporary art programming. An installation by Keith Sonnier inaugurated the series; he and many other Projects series artists such as Chuck Close (1973), Nam June Paik (1977), and Laurie Anderson (1978) went on to international renown.

© 2018. All images are copyrighted © by Eleanor Antin. The use of any image from this site is prohibited unless prior written permission is obtained.

MS Eleanor Antin

100 Boots index

100 Boots on Vacation

 100 Boots parking

 100 Boots boarding

 100 Boots in the Saloon

100 Boots taking The Hill

100 Boots taking The Hill

100 Boots taking The Hill

100 Boots taking The Hill

100 Boots taking The Hill

 100 Boots take It

 100 Boots move on

 100 Boots in Reconnaissance

 100 Boots try Again

 100 Boots doing Their Best

 100 Boots down

 100 Boots on the March

 100 Boots cross Herald Square

 100 Boots at the Bank

 100 Boots on the Way to Church

 100 Boots facing the Sea

 100 Boots in a Field

 100 Boots circling

 100 Boots turn the Corner

 100 Boots trespass

 100 Boots in the Wild Mustard

 100 Boots in the Bush

 100 Boots on the Road

 100 Boots at the Pond

 100 Boots in a Meadow,

 100 Boots at the Corral

 100 Boots under the Bridge

 100 Boots go East

 100 Boots in cross Country

 100 Boots by the Bivouac

 in the Marsh

 100 Boots in the Grove

 100 Boots Inside

  100 Boots on the Way Down

  100 Boots Outside

  100 Boots on the Job

 100 Boots in the Street

 100 Boots out of a Job

 100 Boots visit of the Egyptian garden

 100 Boots in the park

 100 Boots enter the museum

 100 Boots in rural manpower office

 100 Boots at the Checkpoint, San Onofre, California

  100 Boots under the Brooklyn Bridge

 100 Boots at Columbus Circle

 100 Boots at the Beach, Solana Beach, California

100 Boots in the Market

100 Boots on the Porch

This is not 100 boots