The Constructor, El Lissitzky, 1924

The photographic image was itself produced by superimposing two separate photographs: the architects equipment (showing el lissitzky's hand holding a compass against graph paper with an arching line) and his self portrait, both taken in 1924 while lissitzky was recovering from tuberculosis in a swiss sanatorium. The resulting image fuses the artist's head, hand and tools. Large printed letters 'xyz' appear in the top left hand portion of the image. Object Type: photograph. Date: 1924. Dimensions: 107 × 118 mm (4.21 × 4.64 in). Medium: gelatin silver print. Collection: London, Victoria and Albert Museum. El Lissitzky The Constructor, self-portrait, gelatin silver print, 107×118 mm, 1924 London, Victoria and Albert Museum, Inv. PH142-1985