Nancy Holt, Mirrors of Light I (1974)

Installation view: Nancy Holt: Mirrors of Light, Sprüth Magers, Berlin, Germany, 2021

Ten mirrors, 650 watt quartz light

Overall dimensions: 11 x 20 x 28 ft. (3.4 x 6.1 x 8.5 m); mirrors: 9 1/2 in. (24.1 cm) diameter

Photograph: Ingo Kniest

© Holt/Smithson Foundation / Licensed by Artists Rights Society, New York

a room with light reflected from a diagonal line of mirrors

Nancy Holt, Mirrors of Light I (1974)

Installation view: Nancy Holt: Mirrors of Light, Sprüth Magers, Berlin, Germany, 2021

Ten mirrors, 650 watt quartz light

Overall dimensions: 11 x 20 x 28 ft. (3.4 x 6.1 x 8.5 m); mirrors: 9 1/2 in. (24.1 cm) diameter

Photograph: Ingo Kniest

© Holt/Smithson Foundation / Licensed by Artists Rights Society, New York

Nancy Holt, Mirrors of Light I (1974)

Installation view: Nancy Holt: Mirrors of Light, Sprüth Magers, Berlin, Germany, 2021

Ten mirrors, 650 watt quartz light

Overall dimensions: 11 x 20 x 28 ft. (3.4 x 6.1 x 8.5 m); mirrors: 9 1/2 in. (24.1 cm) diameter

Photograph: Ingo Kniest

© Holt/Smithson Foundation / Licensed by Artists Rights Society, New York

a room with light reflected from a diagonal line of mirrors

Nancy Holt, Mirrors of Light I (1974)

Installation view: Nancy Holt: Mirrors of Light, Sprüth Magers, Berlin, Germany, 2021

Ten mirrors, 650 watt quartz light

Overall dimensions: 11 x 20 x 28 ft. (3.4 x 6.1 x 8.5 m); mirrors: 9 1/2 in. (24.1 cm) diameter

Photograph: Ingo Kniest

© Holt/Smithson Foundation / Licensed by Artists Rights Society, New York

Nancy Holt, Mirrors of Light I (1974)

Installation view: Nancy Holt: Mirrors of Light, Sprüth Magers, Berlin, Germany, 2021

Ten mirrors, 650 watt quartz light

Overall dimensions: 11 x 20 x 28 ft. (3.4 x 6.1 x 8.5 m); mirrors: 9 1/2 in. (24.1 cm) diameter

Photograph: Ingo Kniest

© Holt/Smithson Foundation / Licensed by Artists Rights Society, New York

a room with light reflected from a diagonal line of mirrors

Nancy Holt, Mirrors of Light I (1974)

Installation view: Nancy Holt: Mirrors of Light, Sprüth Magers, Berlin, Germany, 2021

Ten mirrors, 650 watt quartz light

Overall dimensions: 11 x 20 x 28 ft. (3.4 x 6.1 x 8.5 m); mirrors: 9 1/2 in. (24.1 cm) diameter

Photograph: Ingo Kniest

© Holt/Smithson Foundation / Licensed by Artists Rights Society, New York

Nancy Holt, Mirrors of Light I (1974)

Installation view: Nancy Holt: Mirrors of Light, Sprüth Magers, Berlin, Germany, 2021

Ten mirrors, 650 watt quartz light

Overall dimensions: 11 x 20 x 28 ft. (3.4 x 6.1 x 8.5 m); mirrors: 9 1/2 in. (24.1 cm) diameter

Photograph: Ingo Kniest

© Holt/Smithson Foundation / Licensed by Artists Rights Society, New York

a room with light reflected from a diagonal line of mirrors

Nancy Holt, Mirrors of Light I (1974)

Installation view: Nancy Holt: Mirrors of Light, Sprüth Magers, Berlin, Germany, 2021

Ten mirrors, 650 watt quartz light

Overall dimensions: 11 x 20 x 28 ft. (3.4 x 6.1 x 8.5 m); mirrors: 9 1/2 in. (24.1 cm) diameter

Photograph: Ingo Kniest

© Holt/Smithson Foundation / Licensed by Artists Rights Society, New York

Exhibitions

Nancy Holt: Mirrors of Light

Nov 26, 2021 – Jan 27, 2022
Solo Exhibition
Sprüth Magers, Berlin
Press Release
A figure standing in a white walled room. A diagonal line of mirrors in a white walled room. Light is reflecting off the mirrors, creating orbs of light on the other two walls

In 2021, Holt/Smithson Foundation and Sprüth Magers presented the first solo exhibition by Nancy Holt at the Berlin gallery, featuring her iconic installation, Mirrors of Light I (1974) alongside key works on paper.

Throughout her practice, Holt was interested in the use of light as a medium, while simultaneously examining it as subject matter in its own right. In this installation, light is a conceptual entity and a physical reality, a practical resource and an aesthetic object. Mirrors of Light I creates an opportunity for self-examination through the perceptions that arise in the face of her work.

Learn more and watch a video walkthrough of the exhibition on the Sprüth Magers website.

More Exhibitions

image of an artwork in a wooded area

Nancy Holt: MoonSunStarEarthSkyWater

May 2 – Nov 1, 2026
Solo Exhibition

Currently on view at Goodwood Art Foundation is the solo exhibition "Nancy Holt: Moon Sun Star Earth Sky Water." The exhibition forms part of Goodwood’s annual summer program, and is open through November 1, 2026. This focused exhibition is titled after a 1969 concrete poem by Holt and brings together works that draw on astronomy, geology, and direct observation of the natural world, themes that remained central to her practice throughout her career.