Michael Heizer's monumental land art 'City' opens in Nevada desert

After 50 years of construction, Michael Heizer's 'City', the largest contemporary artwork in the world, opens to the public on September 2. The land art piece, built between 1970 and 2022, spans 2 kilometers in length and half a kilometer in width in the Nevada desert. Costing $40 million, it was funded through the nonprofit Triple Aught Foundation, which Heizer established and which now manages the work. The project received support from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (whose director Michael Govan sits on the foundation's board), the Dia Art Foundation, dealer Virginia Dwan, and entrepreneur Patrick Lannan. 'City' comprises sculptural interventions in the landscape, including concrete wedges and mounds reminiscent of Mesoamerican cities and megalithic societies. Notable structures include '45°, 90°, 180° Monument' and 'Complex One', the first monument built in the 1970s, resembling the Egyptian pyramid of Djoser. The site is located in Garden Valley, Lincoln County, and was protected by the Obama administration in 2015 with a natural park. Access is limited to a few visitors per day by reservation only, at coordinates 38.034°, -115.443°.