Born: January 2, 1938, Passaic, New Jersey, USA
Died: July 20, 1973, near Amarillo, Texas, USA
Nationality: American
Style: Land Art, Earthworks, Conceptual Art
Influences: Geology, entropy, science fiction
"Nature gives way to the incalculable cycles of the machine."
Notable Artwork
Spiral Jetty (1970)
About Robert Smithson
Born: January 2, 1938, Passaic, New Jersey, USA Died: July 20, 1973, near Amarillo, Texas, USA Nationality: American Style: Land Art, Earthworks, Conceptual Art Influences: Geology, entropy, science fiction Major Exhibitions: “Spiral Jetty” (1970), “Partially Buried Woodshed” (1970), “A Tour of the Monuments of Passaic, New Jersey” (1967) Quote: “Nature gives way to the incalculable cycles of the machine.”
Notable Artwork: Spiral Jetty (1970)
Spiral Jetty is a 1,500-foot-long, 15-foot-wide coil of black basalt rocks and earth extending into the Great Salt Lake in Utah. The work is subject to the changing water levels of the lake, sometimes being submerged and sometimes emerging.
Significance
Spiral Jetty is arguably the most famous work of Land Art. It is a monumental example of human intervention in the landscape, but it is also an artwork that is constantly being transformed by natural processes. It embodies themes of entropy, time, and the relationship between humans and nature.