Collectors Forum - Land and Art in New York City: 1960 to present

Artists have long looked to Nature for solace and inspiration.

This talk will focus on a group of artists who came of age soon after the publication in 1962 of Rachel Carson's prescient book, "Silent Spring," which first raised awareness of our fragile ecosystem, effectively launching the environmental movement. These are the artists who pioneered Land Art, often advocating the use of natural materials such as mud, stones, flower petals, leaves, water, and sunlight. Surprisingly, many of these works were situated in New York City, including installations by Claes Oldenburg, Richard Long, Robert Smithson, Christo and Jeanne Claude, James Turrell, and Maya Lin, among others.

About the speaker

Riva Blumenfeld, Art historian and educator

Blumenfeld received her M.A. from Hunter College, New York City, and her B.A. from Washington University, St. Louis. Blumenfeld leads tours and workshops at the Guggenheim Museum and the Museum of Modern Art. Since 2003 She has been the New York Chapter Chair and a member of ArtTable, a national organization for women in leadership roles in the visual arts.