Walter De Maria

Biography

In his work, Walter De Maria (1935–2013) arranged forms according to mathematical sequences, positioning himself at the intersection of Minimalism, Conceptual Art and Land Art. As early as 1969, he began work on what would become his most iconic piece: The Lightning Field (1969–1977), in New Mexico. This large-scale environmental artwork consists of 400 stainless steel poles systematically arranged across roughly one square kilometre. When storms roll in, lightning strikes the poles. Other permanent works by De Maria include The New York Earth Room (1977) and The Broken Kilometer (1979), both on long-term view at Dia Art Foundation sites in New York City. His work has been featured in major international exhibitions, including Documenta in Kassel (1968, 1977) and the Venice Biennale (1980, 2013). In Switzerland, he exhibited at the Kunstmuseum Basel (1972) and the Kunsthaus Zurich (1992).