1. Robert Smithson

2. “For over thirty years and at the onset of the 21st Century, Robert Smithson remains one of the most influential and original artists whose voice has had a major impact on artists of his generation, and continues to do so today. His complex ideas took root in many forms: drawings, projects and proposals, sculpture, earthworks, films and critical writings. Smithson's provocative and seminal works, made in the mid-sixties to early seventies, redefined the language of sculpture.” -The official Site of Robert Smithson

3. Biography • Born in 1938 in New Jersey • Went to art school in New York • Studied drawing and painting • Many of his early works were influenced by magazines, science fiction and early pop art.

4. Biography cont. • Smithson became associated with the minimalist movement, and soon became interested in the connection between land and art. • Artists such as Sam Durant, Lee Ranaldo, and Mike Nelson were influenced and inspired by Smithson’s work. • Died July 20th, 1973

5. Solo Exhibitions • He has had many solo exhibitions all over the world, Including: • 1966, Dwan Gallery in New York • 1980, Centre d’art contemporain in Geneva Switzerland • 1996, Galleria Emi Fontana in Milan Italy.

6. Group Exhibitions • Smithson has been apart of numerous group exhibitions including, • 1970, Against Order, Chance and Art, Institute of Contemporary Art,Philadelphia • 1980, Watermarks, Scottish Arts Council Touring Exhibition by RobertCallendar & Elizabeth Olgilvie • 2008, The Sublime is Now, La Galleria Civica di Modena, Modena, Italy (film, Spiral 
Jetty)

7. Spiral Jetty • Considered Smithson’s most famous work of art • Constructed in 1970 • In Salt Lake City, Utah. In the Great Salt Lake • It is only visible when the water level drops (or is low) and can be seen from aircraft or even outter space. • Smithson reportedly chose the Rozel site because of the red color of the water, and it’s connection to the primordial sea. • The red hue of the water is due to the presence of salt tolerant bacteria and algae.

9. Spiral Jetty Cont. • his monumental earthwork was inspired in part when Smithson saw the Great Serpent Mound, a Pre-Columbian Indian monument in southwestern Ohio. • Since he was one of the “founders” of earthwork, this piece embodied his ideas about earthworks because it was IN the earth rather than on the earth

10. Spiral Jetty • spiral jetty

11. Other Works “Blind in the Valleyof Suicides” Drawing “Plunge” sculpture “Terminal” Sculpture

12. Funding • Smithson’s Spiral Jetty preservation is/was funded by Dia Art Foundation. • Many museums all over the world fund Robert Smithson exhibitions and hold them to very high regard. • The term earthworks wouldn’t be what it is today without Smithson.

13. Citations • The official Robert Smithson website: http://www.robertsmithson.com/index_.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Smithson http://www.diacenter.org/sites/page/59/1384 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiral_Jetty