Synopses & Reviews
and#147;The exhibition and catalogue fill a conspicuous gap in the scholarship of postwar art in the U.S. and in our understanding of Holtand#8217;s aesthetic. . . . Like her
Sun Tunnels installation, in which the huge tubes become apertures,
Sightlines situates Holt at the intersection of organizing systems and an infinitely expanding field of vision. It is a strength of this detailed and beautifully installed show that it also reveals an artist pursuing that which eludes both vision and order.and#8221; and#151;
Art in America and#147;Holtand#8217;s long-standing interest in astronomical themes . . . loom[ed] large in an excellent survey of her early output between 1966 and 1980 at Columbia Universityand#8217;s Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Art Gallery. . . . We can be grateful that a concurrently published book of critical essays is dedicated to Holtand#8217;s entire oeuvreand#151;even if, quite surprisingly, it is the first.and#8221; and#151;Artforum International
and#147;A long-overdue scholarly consideration of the oeuvre of one of the originators of land art. . . . Highly recommended.and#8221; and#151;Choice
and#147;A collection of essays that effectively broaden the scope of Holtand#8217;s traditional designation as a Land artist. . . . Handsomely illustrated.and#8221; and#151;Womenand#8217;s Art Journal
and#147;This book provides ample basis to appreciate Holtand#8217;s distinctive contributions to historical land art and photographic media.and#8221; and#151;Oxford Art Journal
and#147;Even those who thought they knew the work of Nancy Holt well will rediscover the importance of this artist in this publication. . . . A formidable archival work.and#8221; and#151;Gilles A. Tiberghien, Universitand#233; Paris 1 Panthand#233;on-Sorbonne, author of Land Art
Review
and#8220;A long-overdue scholarly consideration of the oeuvre of one of the originators of land art. . . . Highly recommended.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;This book provides ample basis to appreciate Holtand#8217;s distinctive contributions to historical land art and photographic media.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;A collection of essays that effectively broaden the scope of Holtand#8217;s traditional designation as a Land artist. . . . Handsomely illustrated.and#8221;
Synopsis
This is the first retrospective study of Nancy Holt, the visionary American artistand#151;a landmark companion book to the and#147;Nancy Holt: Sightlinesand#8221; exhibition. Holtand#8217;s wide-ranging body of work since the late 1960s includes Land artand#151;particularly the monumental Sun Tunnels (1973-1976), major works of sculpture, installations, film, and video. A comprehensive representation of her working process in both word and image, this book illuminates Holtand#8217;s interest in physical space and reveals how the geographic variety and boundlessness of the American landscape afforded the artist numerous opportunities to develop large-scale projects beyond the confines of New York Cityand#8217;s gallery walls. Essays by a diverse and distinguished group of contributorsand#151;including Pamela M. Lee, Lucy R. Lippard, Ines Schaber, and Matthew Coolidgeand#151;chart Holtand#8217;s fascinating trajectory from her initial experiments with sound, light, and industrial materials to major site interventions and environmental sculpture. James Meyerand#8217;s valuable interview with Holt and Julia Aldersonand#8217;s illustrated chronology expand our knowledge of this groundbreaking artist and the crucial contexts in which she worked. More than twenty original writings by the artist and a rare selection of her concrete poetry, documentary photographs, and preparatory drawings reveal Holtand#8217;s revolutionary concepts of space, time, optics, and scale.
About the Author
Alena J. Williams teaches modern and contemporary art history and the history and theory of film and media at the University of California, San Diego. She was curator of Nancy Holt: Sightlines, an exhibition of Holtand#8217;s Land art, films, video, and related works, which traveled to six venues between 2010 and 2013.