For almost 25 years, New York artist Vito Acconci has run one of the most innovative design studios around, laboring to rewrite our ideas about buildings and function. But despite that quarter century of work, Acconci remains better known for the radical, body-torturing performance art he pioneered in the 1970s. Maybe today’s announcement that he’s been named Designer of the Year will help rebalance his reputation. Read about Acconci and his design award on The Daily Beast, and click through this Web gallery for a sampling of his design projects.
—Blake Gopnik