Bookings for 2026 Open Days at "Broken Circle/Spiral Hill" are open

We are pleased to share that bookings for the 2026 Open Days at Robert Smithson’s Broken Circle/Spiral Hill are now open.

In 1971, Robert Smithson was invited to create an earthwork in the Netherlands for the recurring outdoor exhibition Sonsbeek by the curator Wim Beeren. Situated beside a working sand quarry in Drenthe and cut into the side of a terminal moraine, Broken Circle/Spiral Hill is Smithson’s most significant earthwork and reflects his longstanding interest in geological and post-industrial time. It is Smithson’s only extant earthwork outside of the United States. 

Organized by our Dutch partners Land Art Contemporary in partnership with DIEP Emmen, the Open Day visits begin at Emmen Zuid Station, which is easily accessible by public transport and car. From there, a shuttle bus takes visitors to Broken Circle/Spiral Hill.

Visitors can access an audio tour on their smartphones and watch Breaking Ground: Broken Circle/Spiral Hill (approximately 21 minutes). The on-site visit takes approximately 90 minutes.

The 2026 excursions take place over four weekends:
July 4 and 5
August 29 and 30
September 19 and 20
October 17 and 18

Booking is essential: tickets are €15.50 for adults and €5 for under-twelves

Book here: https://tickets.diepemmen.nl/nl/brokencircle/tickets

Archived News

Nancy Holt’s Project Files Digitized at the Archives of American Art

The papers of Nancy Holt and Robert Smithson are held at the Smithsonian Institution's Archives of American Art. This series documents more than 50 projects developed by Holt from the late 1970s to the late 1990s, offering insights into her working processes and the development of her ideas from initial conception through to completion.

Soft Network Benefit Auction

We are pleased to participate in the Soft Network Benefit Auction, open on Artsy from September 23 until October 7, 2026. The auction brings together works in support of Soft Network and the Artist Foundations and Estate Leaders List (AFELL), an international network for artists and stewards of artists’ estates and legacies. Holt/Smithson Foundation has donated two rare works of art by Nancy Holt and Robert Smithson to the auction to help further this goal.