ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Diana Carta's Book on Steven Holl's Creative Process

publication · 2026-05-04

Italian architect Diana Carta interviewed Steven Holl at his Manhattan studio, resulting in the bilingual book 'Lake of the Mind. Conversazione con Steven Holl' (LetteraVentidue Editrice, 2018, €15, ISBN 9788862422888). The conversation explores Holl's creative process, revealing his daily practice of painting watercolors on 12.5 x 18 cm paper for one to two hours each morning, a ritual he has maintained for thirty years. He has accumulated 20,000 such works, kept in chronological order, which he revisits to develop new ideas. Holl owns a 1.6-hectare property near Rhinebeck, New York, on Round Pond, where he built a 7.4-square-meter wooden hut to work in solitude. The book includes a preface by Yehuda E. Safran and discusses projects like 'Explorations of “IN”.'

Key facts

  • Diana Carta interviewed Steven Holl at his studio at 450 West 31st Street, Manhattan.
  • The interview led to the book 'Lake of the Mind. Conversazione con Steven Holl'.
  • The book is bilingual (Italian and English) and published by LetteraVentidue Editrice.
  • Holl paints watercolors on 12.5 x 18 cm paper every morning for 1-2 hours.
  • He has done this for thirty years and has 20,000 watercolors in chronological order.
  • Holl owns 1.6 hectares on Round Pond near Rhinebeck, New York.
  • He built a 7.4-square-meter wooden hut on the property six years after purchasing it.
  • The book has a preface by Yehuda E. Safran.

Entities

Artists

  • Steven Holl
  • Diana Carta
  • Yehuda E. Safran

Institutions

  • Steven Holl Architects
  • LetteraVentidue Editrice

Locations

  • New York
  • Manhattan
  • 450 West 31st Street
  • Rhinebeck
  • Dutchess County
  • New York State
  • Round Pond

Sources