Nancy Holt's first major UK survey opens at Goodwood Art Foundation

Nancy Holt (1938-2014), a pioneering land artist who studied biology at Tufts University and came to large-scale works through concrete poetry, is the subject of her first major UK exhibition at Goodwood Art Foundation near Chichester, West Sussex, running from 2 May to 1 November. The show, titled 'MoonSunStarEarthSkyWater,' includes the first posthumous installation of 'Hydra's Head,' an earthwork of six pools aligned with the Hydra constellation, last installed on the Niagara River in 1974, now precisely situated in Goodwood's chalk quarry following Holt's instructions. Another work, 'Ventilation System' (1985-92), extends from the gallery into the landscape. The exhibition was organized by curator Ann Gallagher, who worked with the Holt/Smithson Foundation—founded by Holt in 2018 to preserve her legacy and that of her husband Robert Smithson, creator of 'Spiral Jetty' (1970). The foundation, set to terminate in 2038, oversees all research and exhibitions. Holt's most famous outdoor work, 'Sun Tunnels' (1973-76), owned by the Dia Art Foundation, is represented by a film, drawings, and photography. The show also features Holt's concrete poetry, including 'MoonSunStarEarthSkyWater' and 'Making Waves' (1972), a diagram of her different 'selves.' Holt, who worked as a sub editor at Harper's Bazaar in the 1960s and exchanged poetry with Sol LeWitt and Carl Andre, resisted the label 'feminist artist' but is recognized for forging a path for women in land art.