The Art Prophets: The Artists, Dealers, and Tastemakers Who Shook the Art World by Richard Polsky

Author:Richard Polsky [Polsky, Richard]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-59051-407-8
Publisher: Other Press
Published: 2011-10-18T04:00:00+00:00

In 1993 word spread quickly that Robert Smithson’s Spiral Jetty had reemerged. After being visible for only two years over the last two decades, the 1,500-foot-long coil of black basalt, which extended from the shoreline of Utah’s Great Salt Lake, was above water again—but for how long? Constructed in 1970, the Spiral Jetty became Smithson’s legacy, quickly achieving iconic status. But because of a miscalculation by the artist (the area was experiencing a drought during the work’s fabrication), his piece had been submerged by the rising lake. Though Smithson’s philosophy acknowledged the process of entropy, and how an Earthwork deteriorates over time, this clearly wasn’t what he had in mind.

When Smithson first conceived of the project two years earlier, Virginia Dwan had agreed to fund the work to the tune of $6,000. What’s more, she didn’t see the Spiral Jetty until it was completed. Dwan said, “That was part of my faith in the artist: they’d sort of wave good-bye and take off and I just assumed that something worthwhile would come out of it; and did.”

Even with money in hand, Smithson had a hard time finding a construction company willing and able to do the job. Creating a sculpture from bulldozed rocks was an alien concept within the art world, let alone the real world. He finally convinced the Utah-based Great Salt Lake Minerals to tackle what would turn out to be a six-day undertaking.

Although the owner of the company had agreed to the deal, he thought Smithson had rocks in his head. Fortunately, the project manager liked Smithson, but he still demanded the fee up front just to cover himself. When Smithson surprised him by producing a check, the project manager ran it by their accountant, who was skeptical it would clear and reluctant to accept it. He also felt the job was too risky: the equipment might get stuck in the mud, the salt from the lake could corrode the machinery and actually cost them money in the long run. But the project manager had given his word and insisted they do the job.

Once things got under way, the construction went smoothly. The real issue became the spirit behind the piece. By the end of the first day, when everyone was exhausted and itching to go home, Smithson stood there surveying the work’s progress. Apparently his moment of contemplation lasted a bit too long for the foreman, who mockingly called out in the hip jargon of the day, “It turns me on, it turns me on. Now turn me off, so we can go home.” Smithson was not amused. He went to great lengths to convince the workers that they weren’t just dumping a bunch of rocks in the water—they were making art. Once they saw how serious he took his work, their attitude improved, and they actually got into it.

Not long after Smithson completed the sculpture, the Great Salt Lake began to rise and the Spiral Jetty was soon submerged. It wasn’t until 1993 that the Jetty mysteriously reappeared.

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