Robert Smithson Quotes

A collection of quotes by Robert Smithson.

Robert Smithson (1938-1973) was an influential American artist and theorist known for pioneering the Land Art movement in the late 1960s. Born in Passaic, New Jersey, he studied painting and sculpture at the Brooklyn Museum School and Art Students League. Smithson's work focused on the integration of sculpture and the natural environment, often creating monumental earthworks and site-specific installations. His most famous work, "Spiral Jetty," constructed in 1970 on the Great Salt Lake in Utah, remains an iconic example of Land Art. Smithson's writings and critical essays also played a significant role in shaping contemporary art theory.

When a finished work of 20th century sculpture is placed in

When a finished work of 20th century sculpture is placed in an 18th century garden, it is absorbed by the ideal representation of the past, thus reinforcing political and social values that are no longer with us.

Robert Smithson

Gardening

Painting, sculpture and architecture are finished, but the a

Painting, sculpture and architecture are finished, but the art habit continues.

Robert Smithson

Architecture

Instead of causing us to remember the past like the old monu

Instead of causing us to remember the past like the old monuments, the new monuments seem to cause us to forget the future.

Robert Smithson

Future

Artists themselves are not confined, but their output is.

Artists themselves are not confined, but their output is.

Robert Smithson

Art