Published on the occasion of the exhibition robert smithson in texas at the dallas museum of art, th. Robert smithson january 2, 1938 july 20, 1973 was an american artist known for sculpture and land art who often used drawing and photography in relation to the spatial arts. Feb 01, 1985 robert smithson 19381973 is so well known as a sculptor of minimal austerities in the mid60s and later, as founding hero of the earth art division of the movement that his early work. Robert smithson, spiral jetty in 2004, rozel point, great salt lake, utah. Features contemporary art, painting, sculpture, video, installations, photography and editions by established and emerging american and international artists. Artists on robert smithson distributed art publishers.
In rutherford, william carlos williams was smithson s pediatrician. Drawings documents smithson s first largescale exhibition of drawings at the new york cultural center, april 19 june 16, 1974. Robert smithsons sacred and profane pop hyperallergic. Robert smithson is undoubtedly one of the most important artists in the second half of the 20th century. His father, irving, worked for autolite, a company that dealt in car parts, but later went into real estate, and then into banking. Robert smithson untitled three spiral jetty drawings, ca.
Robert smithson eugenie tsai, robert smithson, cornelia. Amply illustrated with archival and new photographs of the jetty and many comparative illustrations, this book makes evident why smithson s art and writings have had such a powerful impact on art and art theory. Since the 1979 publication of the writings of robert smithson, robert. Drawings, collages, writings by eugenie tsai and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. A revised and expanded version of the writings of robert smithson, this book is a charged combination of articles and images in which the author demystifies the distinction between theory and practice. Robert smithson s earthwork spiral jetty 1970 is located at rozel point peninsula on the northeastern shore of great salt lake. Learn about the artist and find an indepth biography, exhibitions, original artworks, the latest news, and sold auction prices. Artist books, exhibition catalogues, invitations, announcements, posters, and related printed ephemera. Books art historian hikmet sidney loe chronicles the many influences on robert smithsons masterwork in the great. Robert smithson american sculptor and writer britannica.
Robert smithson retrospective works 19551973, 8778750202, very scarce art book. Robert smithson biography robert smithson on artnet. Drawings, collages, writings columbia studies on art eugenie tsai on. Robert carleton hobbs is an art historian and curator specializing in twentiethcentury art. Artist robert smithson is best known for his signature earthworks largescale works of art that he made in italy, holland, and throughout north america from 1969 until his death in 1973. Revised edition 1995 is also available from california. Pdf robert smithson download full pdf book download. In addition to a new introduction by jack flam, the collected writings includes previously unpublished essays by smithson. Pop, robert smithsons playful drawings inspired by new. A pivotal figure in the evolution of postwar sculpture, robert smithson created iconic land art that radically changed prevailing ideas about the making and viewing of art.
Although robert smithson died at the age of only 35, his short career has inspired more young artists than most among the generation that emerged in the 1960s. He began with a photograph of a specific sitethe bingham copper mining pit in utahand then superimposed his drawing on it by placing a transparent plastic overlay on the. Robert smithson by robert smithson, jack flam paperback. Now with its reappearance, this book is especially timely, historical and memorable. Working with unconventional materials including soil, rocks, disused industrial sites, and language, the artist explored the metaphorical qualities inherent in geological. Quotations by robert smithson, american artist, born january 2, 1938. Mar, 2017 last week, both the utah house and utah senate voted to approve robert smithsons seminal land artwork spiral jetty 1970 as the state work of land art. List of works featured works 7 all artworks by date 110 all artworks by date 101.
Robert smithson retrospective by smithson robert abebooks. Robert smithson learning from new jersey and elsewhere by reynolds, ann and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. It includes a preface by the centers director mario amaya, an introduction by susan ginsburg, an essay by joseph masheck, a timeline of smithsons exhibition history, and fortyseven pages of drawings. Smithson was born in passaic, new jersey and early on lived mostly in rutherford. Robert smithson 19381973, one of the most important artists of his generation, produced sculpture, earthworks, drawings, and paintings in addition to the writings collected here. Robert smithson was born in passaic, new jersey, in 1938. Sep 27, 2004 robert smithson presents essays by top smithson scholars alongside both archival imagery and specially commissioned photography of the artists works. The art movement surrealism grew out of dada and fantasy art. Robert smithson and art after babel, university of california press, 1995. His innovations in both the practice and theory of art have been mentioned with great respect by many artists and art historians.
Robert smithson robert smithson, eugenie tsai, cornelia h. It makes sense that james cohan is opening his lower east side gallery with a show devoted to robert smithson. Robert smithson expressed a profound interest in the arts from an early age. Best known for his sculpture and earthworks, robert smithson was. Dia art foundation is a contemporary arts organization with locations in beacon, new york, and the american west.
Drawings, collages, writings, the first full survey of this artist s work, reevaluates its larger resonance and its place in the historical development of recent art. Jack flam is distinguished professor of art history at brooklyn college and the graduate center of the city university of new york. He has held positions at cornell university, university of iowa. Robert smithson designed and directed the construction of his iconic work the spiral jetty in april 1970. The collected writings documents of twentiethcentury art 2rev ed by jack flam isbn. A coil of earth, salt, and stone that smithson built into great salt lake, utah, the piece is a tribute to the movements scale and engineering as well as to its visionary union of art and nature. Jennifer padgett on robert smithson robert smithson. Since the 1979 publication of the writings of robert smithson, robert smithson s significance as a spokesman for a generation of artists has been widely acknowledged and the importance of his thinking to contemporary artists and art critics continues to grow. These essays situate this renowned series of works alongside smithsons critical writings, proposals, drawings, sources, and models. Robert smithson retrospective works 19551973, 8778750202, extremely rare art 9788778750204 ebay. Robert smithson january 2, 1938 july 20, 1973 was an american artist who used photography in relation to sculpture and land art. Working with unconventional materials including soil, rocks, disused industrial sites, and language, the artist explored the metaphorical qualities inherent in geological formations and the process of entropy. Robert smithson was born in 1938 in passaic, new jersey and died in a plane crash while flying over one of his earthworks to examine it in 1973.
Blind in the valley of the suicides depicts a human transforming into. Robert smithson 19381973 is so well known as a sculptor of minimal austerities in the mid60s and later, as founding hero of the earth art division of the movement that his early work. Swirling into the spiral jetty by robert smithson widewalls. Wikipedia entry introduction robert smithson january 2, 1938 july 20, 1973 was an american artist known for sculpture and land art who often used drawing and photography in relation to the spatial arts. The inevitability of salt crystal growth made the lake an ideal site, according to our book. Robert smithson, spiral jetty 1970 the most iconic of the major earthworks of the 70s, spiral jetty. Mar 24, 2019 the artwork is noted as one of smithsons best. Pop, robert smithsons playful drawings inspired by new york detritus james cohans inaugural show in his new space on the lower east side focuses on works on paper and sculpture dating. See more ideas about robert smithson, land art and environmental art. Since 2004 he has served as a visiting professor at yale university. Smithson documented the construction of the sculpture in a 32minute color film also titled spiral jetty. Paperback robert smithson presents essays by top smithson scholars alongside both archival imagery and specially commissioned photography of the artists works.
Eugenie tsais representation of the work of smithson expands our understanding of his achievement. The jetty is a sitespecific work, meant to interact with changing conditions of the surrounding water, land, and atmosphere. Khors animal crossing installation includes digital versions of robert smithson s spiral jetty, barbara krugers untitled, and christo and jeanneclaudes the umbrellas. Straddling the movements of minimalism and land art, smithson, who died in a plane crash at the age of 35, had a profound impact on the cultural landscape that. Since the 1979 publication of the writings of robert smithson, robert smithsons. Drawings documents smithsons first largescale exhibition of drawings at the new york cultural center, april 19 june 16, 1974. His work has been internationally exhibited in galleries and museums and is held in public. This fully illustrated 248page book accompanies the first comprehensive american retrospective of robert smithsons 19381973 complex and highly influential career. Robert smithson, preminimal paintings the new york times. Not too long after that it was submerged as the great salt lake rose throughout the 80s. These essays situate this renowned series of works alongside smithson s critical writings, proposals, drawings, sources, and models. Moma how the project was created the artists occasionally supervised the construction of the project from a helicopter, at which he was quoted saying et in utah ego, which a counterpoint to the. Robert smithsons spiral jetty everything you need to know. In december 1968, the american artist robert smiths.
Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Robert smithson, american sculptor and writer associated with the land art movement. For two years, he was enrolled at the art students league in new york and, for a briefer period, at the brooklyn museum school. Retrospektiivinen nayttely by smithson, robert and robert hobbs and a great selection of related books, art. Straddling the movements of minimalism and land art, smithson, who died in a plane crash at the age of 35, had a profound impact on the cultural landscape that resonates to this day. Enjoy the best robert smithson quotes at brainyquote. Best know for his sculpture and monumental earthworks, particularly the spiral jetty in the great salt lake, utah 1970, his work also includes drawings, paintings, collages, and writings. This dramatic and highly influential work forms a coil 1,500 feet long and 15 feet wide and stretches out counterclockwise into the lakes translucent red water. While still attending high school in clifton, new jersey, during the mid 1950s, he attended art classes on the side in new york city. The below artworks are the most important by robert smithson that both overview the major creative periods, and highlight the greatest achievements by the artist. Robert smithson american, 19381973 was a painter and sculptor best known for his mature land art pieces, such as spiral jetty 1970. The new york cultural center in association with fairleigh dickinson university. Jan 06, 2016 robert smithson, untitled pink linoleum center 1964, collage and color pencil on paper, 30 x 22 in holtsmithson foundation licensed by vaga, new york, ny, courtesy james cohan. Sep 05, 2005 in 1970 robert smithson 19381973, one of the most innovative and provocative artists of the twentieth century, created the landmark earthwork spiral jetty at rozel point on utahs great salt lake.
The contributors to this comprehensive publication consider smithsons sculpture in relation to its eponymous companionsa text work and a film. Robert smithsons earthwork sculpture the spiral jetty was done in 1970. The perfect book for someone who is interested in space, time. Drawings, collages, writings, the first full survey of this artists work, reevaluates its larger resonance and its place in the historical development of recent art. University of california press, apr 10, 1996 art 389 pages. Using over six thousand tons of black basalt rocks and earth from the site, smithson formed a coil 1,500 feet long and 15 feet wide that winds counterclockwise off the shore into the water. In 1970 robert smithson 19381973, one of the most innovative and provocative artists of the twentieth century, created the landmark earthwork spiral jetty at rozel point on utahs great salt lake. Robert smithson s spiral jetty is the poster child for the antiformalist earth art movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Robert smithsons spiral jetty is the poster child for the antiformalist earth art movement of the 1960s and 1970s.
Smithson s revolutionary ideas positioned art as existing. Nancy holt, sun tunnels 197376 great basin desert, utah. His largescale sculptures, called earthworks, engaged directly with nature and were created by moving and constructing with vast amounts of soil and rocks. Robert smithson 193873, the internationally renowned pioneer of the earthworks movement who is best known for his earthwork spiral jetty 1970, is considered one of the most iconoclastic artists of the 20th century. Robert smithson combined drawing with photography in bingham copper mining pitutah reclamation project 1973. Robert smithson, spiral jetty 1970 great salt lake, utah collection of dia art foundation. In 1999, the artist nancy holt, smithsons wife, and the estate of robert smithson, decided to donate spiral jetty to the dia art foundation. Artists from matthew buckingham to diana thater address the rich legacy of robert smithson s films, sculptures and spiral jetty. Untangling robert smithsons spiral jetty art agenda phaidon. Smithson grew up in new jersey, and moved to new york in the 1950s to study at the art students league and the brooklyn museum school. This independent organization obliged to take care of the.
This fully illustrated 248page book accompanies the first comprehensive american retrospective of robert smithson s 19381973 complex and highly influential career. While located in a relatively barren, unpopulated place, smithson chose the site not only because of the vast. Unfortunately, three years after creating it, the artist died in a helicopter crash in texas. A formidable writer and critic as well as an artist, his interests ranged from catholicism to. Smithson preferred to work with ruined or exhausted sites. Robert smithson was a seminal american artist and writer known for pioneering the land art movement. Online shopping from a great selection at books store. Robert smithson has been one of the most influential and revolutionary artists since world war ii. The collected writings documents of twentiethcentury art 2rev ed by flam, jack isbn. Below are 15 works that help tell the story of land art as it has expanded and evolved. Robert smithson presents essays by top smithson scholars alongside both archival imagery and specially commissioned photography of the artist s works. It includes a preface by the centers director mario amaya, an introduction by susan ginsburg, an essay by joseph masheck, a timeline of smithson s exhibition history, and fortyseven pages of drawings. James cohan calls its presentation of them pop, but a more. Presenting new research on the figure of the timecrystal in smithsons practice, this book features essays by amelia barikin and chris mcauliffe, and stephen melville, alongside manuscripts by smithson drawn from the robert smithson and nancy holt papers at the archives of american art, smithsonian institution, which are reproduced in their.
Dec 17, 2015 the art worlds recent embrace of tom of finland now feels like a warmup for the revelation of robert smithsons early drawings. Spiral jetty is an earthwork sculpture constructed in april 1970 that is considered to be the most important work of american sculptor robert smithson. In addition to a new introduction by jack flam, the collected writings includes previously unpublished essays by smithson and gathers. Anyone interested in smithson, the artist, filmaker, philosopher and writer will want to read this. Please practice handwashing and social distancing, and check out our resources for adapting to these times.