
Broken Circle and Spiral Hill: having entropy the Dutch way
“This is a major work, I want to have good reproductions in magazines. I want the piece to remain forever. Please help!”
Robert Smithson, Broken Circle/SpiralHill (1971)
Emmen, The Netherlands
Broken Circle
Water, sand, and boulder
Diameter: 140 ft. (42.6 m); canal: 12 ft. (3.6 m) wide, 10-15 ft. (3-4.5 m) deep
Spiral Hill
Earth, topsoil, sand
Diameter: 75 ft. (22.9 m) at base
Photograph: Robert Smithson
©Holt/Smithson Foundation, Licensed by VAGA at ARS, New York
Robert Smithson, Broken Circle/SpiralHill (1971)
Emmen, The Netherlands
Broken Circle
Water, sand, and boulder
Diameter: 140 ft. (42.6 m); canal: 12 ft. (3.6 m) wide, 10-15 ft. (3-4.5 m) deep
Spiral Hill
Earth, topsoil, sand
Diameter: 75 ft. (22.9 m) at base
Photograph: Robert Smithson
©Holt/Smithson Foundation, Licensed by VAGA at ARS, New York
Broken Circle shortly after completion in 1971.
Robert Smithson, Broken Circle (1971)
Emmen, The Netherlands
Water, sand, and boulder
Diameter: 140 ft. (42.6 m); canal: 12 ft. (3.6 m) wide, 10-15 ft. (3-4.5 m) deep
Photograph: Robert Smithson
©Holt/Smithson Foundation, Licensed by VAGA at ARS
Broken Circle shortly after completion in 1971.
Robert Smithson, Broken Circle (1971)
Emmen, The Netherlands
Water, sand, and boulder
Diameter: 140 ft. (42.6 m); canal: 12 ft. (3.6 m) wide, 10-15 ft. (3-4.5 m) deep
Photograph: Robert Smithson
©Holt/Smithson Foundation, Licensed by VAGA at ARS
Spiral Hill shortly after completion in 1971.
Robert Smithson, Spiral Hill (1971)
Emmen, The Netherlands
Earth, topsoil, sand
Diameter: 75 ft. (22.9 m) at base
Photograph: Robert Smithson
©Holt/Smithson Foundation, Licensed by VAGA at ARS
Spiral Hill shortly after completion in 1971.
Robert Smithson, Spiral Hill (1971)
Emmen, The Netherlands
Earth, topsoil, sand
Diameter: 75 ft. (22.9 m) at base
Photograph: Robert Smithson
©Holt/Smithson Foundation, Licensed by VAGA at ARS
Broken Circle during construction, 1971.
Robert Smithson, Broken Circle (1971)
Emmen, The Netherlands
Water, sand, and boulder
Diameter: 140 ft. (42.6 m); canal: 12 ft. (3.6 m) wide, 10-15 ft. (3-4.5 m) deep
Photograph: Robert Smithson
©Holt/Smithson Foundation, Licensed by VAGA at ARS
Broken Circle during construction, 1971.
Robert Smithson, Broken Circle (1971)
Emmen, The Netherlands
Water, sand, and boulder
Diameter: 140 ft. (42.6 m); canal: 12 ft. (3.6 m) wide, 10-15 ft. (3-4.5 m) deep
Photograph: Robert Smithson
©Holt/Smithson Foundation, Licensed by VAGA at ARS
A video still from the film Breaking Ground: Broken Circle/Spiral Hill (1971-2011) showing Broken Circle under construction.
Still from Nancy Holt and Robert Smithson, Breaking Ground: Broken Circle/Spiral Hill (1971-2011)
Color, sound
Duration: 20:45 min
Film footage: Nancy Holt (1971), Benito Strangio (2011)
Photograph: Nancy Holt
©Holt/Smithson Foundation, Licensed by VAGA at ARS
A video still from the film Breaking Ground: Broken Circle/Spiral Hill (1971-2011) showing Broken Circle under construction.
Still from Nancy Holt and Robert Smithson, Breaking Ground: Broken Circle/Spiral Hill (1971-2011)
Color, sound
Duration: 20:45 min
Film footage: Nancy Holt (1971), Benito Strangio (2011)
Photograph: Nancy Holt
©Holt/Smithson Foundation, Licensed by VAGA at ARS
A video still from the film Breaking Ground: Broken Circle/Spiral Hill (1971-2011) .
Still from Nancy Holt and Robert Smithson, Breaking Ground: Broken Circle/Spiral Hill (1971-2011)
Color, sound
Duration: 20:45 min
Film footage: Nancy Holt (1971), Benito Strangio (2011)
Photograph: Benito Strangio
©Holt/Smithson Foundation, Licensed by VAGA at ARS
A video still from the film Breaking Ground: Broken Circle/Spiral Hill (1971-2011) .
Still from Nancy Holt and Robert Smithson, Breaking Ground: Broken Circle/Spiral Hill (1971-2011)
Color, sound
Duration: 20:45 min
Film footage: Nancy Holt (1971), Benito Strangio (2011)
Photograph: Benito Strangio
©Holt/Smithson Foundation, Licensed by VAGA at ARS
A photograph of Spiral Hill in 2011.
Robert Smithson, Spiral Hill (1971)
Emmen, The Netherlands
Earth, topsoil, sand
Diameter: 75 ft. (22.9 m) at base
©Holt/Smithson Foundation, Licensed by VAGA at ARS
A photograph of Spiral Hill in 2011.
Robert Smithson, Spiral Hill (1971)
Emmen, The Netherlands
Earth, topsoil, sand
Diameter: 75 ft. (22.9 m) at base
©Holt/Smithson Foundation, Licensed by VAGA at ARS
A winter photograph of Broken Circle/Spiral Hill, ca. 1980
Robert Smithson, Broken Circle/Spiral Hill (1971)
Emmen, The Netherlands
Photograph: Gerard de Boer
©Holt/Smithson Foundation, Licensed by VAGA at ARS
A winter photograph of Broken Circle/Spiral Hill, ca. 1980
Robert Smithson, Broken Circle/Spiral Hill (1971)
Emmen, The Netherlands
Photograph: Gerard de Boer
©Holt/Smithson Foundation, Licensed by VAGA at ARS
A view of Broken Circle, ca. 1980.
Robert Smithson, Broken Circle (1971)
Emmen, The Netherlands
Photograph: Yuan Bourdon
©Holt/Smithson Foundation, Licensed by VAGA at ARS
A view of Broken Circle, ca. 1980.
Robert Smithson, Broken Circle (1971)
Emmen, The Netherlands
Photograph: Yuan Bourdon
©Holt/Smithson Foundation, Licensed by VAGA at ARS
In a sand quarry in the Northeastern Netherlands, Smithson has carved into the shoreline, flooding the resulting dikes to form an interlocking canal and jetty. At the sculpture’s center lies a single glacial boulder, while the hillside above features a winding spiral path - a manifestation of Smithson’s fascination with spirals and their elusive promise of a final destination. The work iterates the irreversible impact of industry - the land can never go back to what it was before—yet its hypnotizing beauty calls for a reevaluation of the relationship between nature and construction.
“This is a major work, I want to have good reproductions in magazines. I want the piece to remain forever. Please help!”