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Obstruction

Man Ray American
1920/1961
Not on view
Man Ray found inspiration for Obstruction in a heap of discarded coat hangers. He suspended one from the ceiling of his studio and then drilled a hole in each end, added another, and repeated the task again and again. As it multiplied in a precarious feat of balance, the assemblage nearly overtook his space. The artist explained that he had imagined continuing the process, “since they are . . . an arithmetic progression. . . . I could have put many more, until it completely filled the gallery, but as it was, one could no longer enter.”

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Obstruction
  • Artist: Man Ray (American, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1890–1976 Paris)
  • Date: 1920/1961
  • Medium: 63 wooden coat hangers
  • Edition: 13/15
  • Dimensions: 36 × 66 in. (91.4 × 167.6 cm)
    individual hanger weight: 0.3 lb. (4.8oz.)
    Weight: 18.9 lb. (302.369oz.)
  • Classification: Sculpture
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Lila Acheson Wallace Gift, 2015
  • Object Number: 2015.242.1–.63
  • Rights and Reproduction: © 2026 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
  • Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art

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