Land Art Road Trip Through the American Southwest
A Vogue article recounts a road trip through Nevada, Utah, and Arizona to visit major Land Art works, prompted by Annie Leibovitz's photoshoot of Timothée Chalamet at Michael Heizer's City for US Vogue's December 2025 cover. The journey includes stops at Heizer's City (1970–2022) and Double Negative, Nancy Holt's Sun Tunnels (1976), Robert Smithson's Spiral Jetty (1970), and Ugo Rondinone's Seven Magic Mountains (2016). City, owned by Triple Aught Foundation, allows only about 200 visitors per year by reservation. The article highlights the difficulty of documenting City, where photography is usually prohibited, but Leibovitz secured permission due to her friendship with Heizer. The trip also visits Amangiri resort near Canyon Point, Utah, which incorporates Land Art principles into its design. The author reflects on how the artworks blur the distinction between art and environment.
Key facts
- Annie Leibovitz photographed Timothée Chalamet at Michael Heizer's City for US Vogue's December 2025 cover.
- City is located in the Nevada desert and took over 50 years to complete.
- Photography at City is usually prohibited; Leibovitz obtained permission due to her friendship with Heizer.
- City is owned by Triple Aught Foundation, a Nevada nonprofit, and visits are by reservation.
- Only about 200 visitors per year can experience City.
- The road trip included stops at Heizer's Double Negative, Nancy Holt's Sun Tunnels, Robert Smithson's Spiral Jetty, and Ugo Rondinone's Seven Magic Mountains.
- Sun Tunnels was completed in 1976 and consists of four concrete cylinders aligned with solstice sunrises and sunsets.
- Spiral Jetty, made of 6,000 tons of black basalt rock and earth, is located on the northeastern shore of the Great Salt Lake.
Entities
Artists
Institutions
- US Vogue
- Triple Aught Foundation
- Amangiri
- Caesar's Palace
Locations
- Nevada
- Utah
- Arizona
- Las Vegas
- California
- Great Basin Desert
- Great Salt Lake
- Canyon Point
- United States