Explore land art

The term Land Art is most often used to describe an art movement spurred in the 1960s and 1970s by artists like Robert Smithson, Nancy Holt, Walter de Maria, Michael Heizer, Charles Ross, and others. Sometimes called Environmental Art or Earthworks, these monumental pieces employ the literal earth or the landscape as a medium, creating sculptures from rock and dirt. Smithson’s seminal “Spiral Jetty” (1970) or Heizer’s “Double Negative” (1969) involved removing or rearranging earth into geometric shapes, while Nancy Holt’s “Sun Tunnels” (1973-76) or Charles Ross’ “Star Axis” (1971-ongoing) involve unexpected forms installed within distinctive landscapes. 

Land art and environmental art are also terms used to describe contemporary work that addresses nature and the climate crisis.