William Anastasi (b. 1933)

The conceptual artist William Anastasi, whose career began in the early 1960s, is widely known for playing chess with John Cage almost everyday in the late 1970s. For this unique work given to Merce Cunningham, Anastasi set forth the following instuctions: "Set a rectangular piece of hot-rolled carbon steel level on floor. Pour on it a measure of tap water so that the resulting pond holds its position short of overflow. Each time the water evaporates, repeat."