Nancy Holt, California Sun Signs (1972)
Installation view: Nancy Holt: Locating Perception, Sprüth Magers, Los Angeles, 2022
Photo-series of 19 inkjet prints on archival rag paper, printed from original 126 format transparencies
15 1/8 x 15 1/8 in. each (38.1 x 38.1 cm)
Photograph: Robert Wedemeyer
Courtesy Holt/Smithson Foundation and Sprüth Magers
 

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

Nancy Holt's California Sun Signs displayed on a gallery wall

Nancy Holt, California Sun Signs (1972)
Installation view: Nancy Holt: Locating Perception, Sprüth Magers, Los Angeles, 2022
Photo-series of 19 inkjet prints on archival rag paper, printed from original 126 format transparencies
15 1/8 x 15 1/8 in. each (38.1 x 38.1 cm)
Photograph: Robert Wedemeyer
Courtesy Holt/Smithson Foundation and Sprüth Magers
 

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

Nancy Holt, California Sun Signs (1972)
Photo-series of 19 inkjet prints on archival rag paper, printed from original 126 format transparencies
15 1/8 x 15 1/8 in. (38.1 x 38.1 cm)
Edition of 3 + 1 AP

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

A sign that says "Sun Dried Fruits" above a concrete culvert

Nancy Holt, California Sun Signs (1972)
Photo-series of 19 inkjet prints on archival rag paper, printed from original 126 format transparencies
15 1/8 x 15 1/8 in. (38.1 x 38.1 cm)
Edition of 3 + 1 AP

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

Nancy Holt, California Sun Signs (1972)
Photo-series of 19 inkjet prints on archival rag paper, printed from original 126 format transparencies
15 1/8 x 15 1/8 in. (38.1 x 38.1 cm)
Edition of 3 + 1 AP

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

A street sign that reads "Sunny Dunes Dr"

Nancy Holt, California Sun Signs (1972)
Photo-series of 19 inkjet prints on archival rag paper, printed from original 126 format transparencies
15 1/8 x 15 1/8 in. (38.1 x 38.1 cm)
Edition of 3 + 1 AP

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

Nancy Holt, California Sun Signs (1972)
Photo-series of 19 inkjet prints on archival rag paper, printed from original 126 format transparencies
15 1/8 x 15 1/8 in. (38.1 x 38.1 cm)
Edition of 3 + 1 AP

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

A sign that says "SunAir" and has a red sun graphic

Nancy Holt, California Sun Signs (1972)
Photo-series of 19 inkjet prints on archival rag paper, printed from original 126 format transparencies
15 1/8 x 15 1/8 in. (38.1 x 38.1 cm)
Edition of 3 + 1 AP

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

Nancy Holt, California Sun Signs (1972)
Photo-series of 19 inkjet prints on archival rag paper, printed from original 126 format transparencies
15 1/8 x 15 1/8 in. (38.1 x 38.1 cm)
Edition of 3 + 1 AP

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

a sign in the desert that says "Sundial"

Nancy Holt, California Sun Signs (1972)
Photo-series of 19 inkjet prints on archival rag paper, printed from original 126 format transparencies
15 1/8 x 15 1/8 in. (38.1 x 38.1 cm)
Edition of 3 + 1 AP

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

Nancy Holt, California Sun Signs (1972)
Photo-series of 19 inkjet prints on archival rag paper, printed from original 126 format transparencies
15 1/8 x 15 1/8 in. (38.1 x 38.1 cm)
Edition of 3 + 1 AP

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

A sign against a blue sky that says "Sunair Center" and "Liquors, Deli"

Nancy Holt, California Sun Signs (1972)
Photo-series of 19 inkjet prints on archival rag paper, printed from original 126 format transparencies
15 1/8 x 15 1/8 in. (38.1 x 38.1 cm)
Edition of 3 + 1 AP

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

Nancy Holt, California Sun Signs (1972)
Photo-series of 19 inkjet prints on archival rag paper, printed from original 126 format transparencies
15 1/8 x 15 1/8 in. (38.1 x 38.1 cm)
Edition of 3 + 1 AP

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

A gas station sign with gas prices and the word "Sunland"

Nancy Holt, California Sun Signs (1972)
Photo-series of 19 inkjet prints on archival rag paper, printed from original 126 format transparencies
15 1/8 x 15 1/8 in. (38.1 x 38.1 cm)
Edition of 3 + 1 AP

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

Nancy Holt, California Sun Signs (1972)
Photo-series of 19 inkjet prints on archival rag paper, printed from original 126 format transparencies
15 1/8 x 15 1/8 in. (38.1 x 38.1 cm)
Edition of 3 + 1 AP

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

A sign that says "Sun-Ray Lodge" with Palm trees in the background

Nancy Holt, California Sun Signs (1972)
Photo-series of 19 inkjet prints on archival rag paper, printed from original 126 format transparencies
15 1/8 x 15 1/8 in. (38.1 x 38.1 cm)
Edition of 3 + 1 AP

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

Nancy Holt, California Sun Signs (1972)
Photo-series of 19 inkjet prints on archival rag paper, printed from original 126 format transparencies
15 1/8 x 15 1/8 in. (38.1 x 38.1 cm)
Edition of 3 + 1 AP

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

A sign that says "SunSpa, Sales Servies" and "Swimming Pools" against a blue sky

Nancy Holt, California Sun Signs (1972)
Photo-series of 19 inkjet prints on archival rag paper, printed from original 126 format transparencies
15 1/8 x 15 1/8 in. (38.1 x 38.1 cm)
Edition of 3 + 1 AP

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

Nancy Holt, California Sun Signs (1972)
Photo-series of 19 inkjet prints on archival rag paper, printed from original 126 format transparencies
15 1/8 x 15 1/8 in. (38.1 x 38.1 cm)
Edition of 3 + 1 AP

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

A sign on a restaurant that says "Sundaes"

Nancy Holt, California Sun Signs (1972)
Photo-series of 19 inkjet prints on archival rag paper, printed from original 126 format transparencies
15 1/8 x 15 1/8 in. (38.1 x 38.1 cm)
Edition of 3 + 1 AP

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

Nancy Holt, California Sun Signs (1972)
Photo-series of 19 inkjet prints on archival rag paper, printed from original 126 format transparencies
15 1/8 x 15 1/8 in. (38.1 x 38.1 cm)
Edition of 3 + 1 AP

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

A sign along a roadside that says "Sunkist"

Nancy Holt, California Sun Signs (1972)
Photo-series of 19 inkjet prints on archival rag paper, printed from original 126 format transparencies
15 1/8 x 15 1/8 in. (38.1 x 38.1 cm)
Edition of 3 + 1 AP

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

Nancy Holt, California Sun Signs (1972)
Photo-series of 19 inkjet prints on archival rag paper, printed from original 126 format transparencies
15 1/8 x 15 1/8 in. (38.1 x 38.1 cm)
Edition of 3 + 1 AP

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

A sign in front of a newspaper box that says "1st in Selling Power Classified Ads in the Desert Sun"

Nancy Holt, California Sun Signs (1972)
Photo-series of 19 inkjet prints on archival rag paper, printed from original 126 format transparencies
15 1/8 x 15 1/8 in. (38.1 x 38.1 cm)
Edition of 3 + 1 AP

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

Nancy Holt, California Sun Signs (1972)
Photo-series of 19 inkjet prints on archival rag paper, printed from original 126 format transparencies
15 1/8 x 15 1/8 in. (38.1 x 38.1 cm)
Edition of 3 + 1 AP

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

A sign that says "Sunset Palms Resort Hotel T.V. Pool" against a blue sky

Nancy Holt, California Sun Signs (1972)
Photo-series of 19 inkjet prints on archival rag paper, printed from original 126 format transparencies
15 1/8 x 15 1/8 in. (38.1 x 38.1 cm)
Edition of 3 + 1 AP

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

Nancy Holt, California Sun Signs (1972)
Photo-series of 19 inkjet prints on archival rag paper, printed from original 126 format transparencies
15 1/8 x 15 1/8 in. (38.1 x 38.1 cm)
Edition of 3 + 1 AP

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

A street sign that says "N. Sunair Plaza"

Nancy Holt, California Sun Signs (1972)
Photo-series of 19 inkjet prints on archival rag paper, printed from original 126 format transparencies
15 1/8 x 15 1/8 in. (38.1 x 38.1 cm)
Edition of 3 + 1 AP

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

Nancy Holt, California Sun Signs (1972)
Photo-series of 19 inkjet prints on archival rag paper, printed from original 126 format transparencies
15 1/8 x 15 1/8 in. (38.1 x 38.1 cm)
Edition of 3 + 1 AP

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

A sign in a meadow that says "sun Gold Date Shop"

Nancy Holt, California Sun Signs (1972)
Photo-series of 19 inkjet prints on archival rag paper, printed from original 126 format transparencies
15 1/8 x 15 1/8 in. (38.1 x 38.1 cm)
Edition of 3 + 1 AP

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

Nancy Holt, California Sun Signs (1972)
Photo-series of 19 inkjet prints on archival rag paper, printed from original 126 format transparencies
15 1/8 x 15 1/8 in. (38.1 x 38.1 cm)
Edition of 3 + 1 AP

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

A sign that says "The Sunshine Pre-School" above a rose bush

Nancy Holt, California Sun Signs (1972)
Photo-series of 19 inkjet prints on archival rag paper, printed from original 126 format transparencies
15 1/8 x 15 1/8 in. (38.1 x 38.1 cm)
Edition of 3 + 1 AP

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

Nancy Holt, California Sun Signs (1972)
Photo-series of 19 inkjet prints on archival rag paper, printed from original 126 format transparencies
15 1/8 x 15 1/8 in. (38.1 x 38.1 cm)
Edition of 3 + 1 AP

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

A sign that says "sunbeam" above a flower bush

Nancy Holt, California Sun Signs (1972)
Photo-series of 19 inkjet prints on archival rag paper, printed from original 126 format transparencies
15 1/8 x 15 1/8 in. (38.1 x 38.1 cm)
Edition of 3 + 1 AP

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

Nancy Holt, California Sun Signs (1972)
Photo-series of 19 inkjet prints on archival rag paper, printed from original 126 format transparencies
15 1/8 x 15 1/8 in. (38.1 x 38.1 cm)
Edition of 3 + 1 AP

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

A wood sign that says "Sungate Terrace"

Nancy Holt, California Sun Signs (1972)
Photo-series of 19 inkjet prints on archival rag paper, printed from original 126 format transparencies
15 1/8 x 15 1/8 in. (38.1 x 38.1 cm)
Edition of 3 + 1 AP

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

Nancy Holt, California Sun Signs (1972)
Photo-series of 19 inkjet prints on archival rag paper, printed from original 126 format transparencies
15 1/8 x 15 1/8 in. (38.1 x 38.1 cm)
Edition of 3 + 1 AP

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

A sign that says "Sun Air Drugs" with a blue sky and palm trees in the background

Nancy Holt, California Sun Signs (1972)
Photo-series of 19 inkjet prints on archival rag paper, printed from original 126 format transparencies
15 1/8 x 15 1/8 in. (38.1 x 38.1 cm)
Edition of 3 + 1 AP

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

Nancy Holt, California Sun Signs (1972)
Photo-series of 19 inkjet prints on archival rag paper, printed from original 126 format transparencies
15 1/8 x 15 1/8 in. (38.1 x 38.1 cm)
Edition of 3 + 1 AP

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

A sign that says "White sun guest ranch" with a yellow and white sun graphic

Nancy Holt, California Sun Signs (1972)
Photo-series of 19 inkjet prints on archival rag paper, printed from original 126 format transparencies
15 1/8 x 15 1/8 in. (38.1 x 38.1 cm)
Edition of 3 + 1 AP

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

Nancy Holt, California Sun Signs (1972)

Installation view: Nancy Holt: Photoworks, Haunch of Venison, London 2012

Photo-series of 19 inkjet prints on archival rag paper, printed from original 126 format transparencies

15 1/8 x 15 1/8 in. each (38.1 x 38.1 cm)

Edition of 3 + 1 AP

Photograph: Peter Mallet

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

an arrangement of framed photographs displayed on a a white wall

Nancy Holt, California Sun Signs (1972)

Installation view: Nancy Holt: Photoworks, Haunch of Venison, London 2012

Photo-series of 19 inkjet prints on archival rag paper, printed from original 126 format transparencies

15 1/8 x 15 1/8 in. each (38.1 x 38.1 cm)

Edition of 3 + 1 AP

Photograph: Peter Mallet

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

Nancy Holt, California Sun Signs (1972)

Installation view: Nancy Holt: Points of View, Parafin, London 2020

Photo-series of 19 inkjet prints on archival rag paper, printed from original 126 format transparencies

15 1/8 x 15 1/8 in. each (38.1 x 38.1 cm)

Edition of 3 + 1 AP

Photograph: Peter Mallet

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

framed photographs displayed in a row in a room with white walls and wood floors

Nancy Holt, California Sun Signs (1972)

Installation view: Nancy Holt: Points of View, Parafin, London 2020

Photo-series of 19 inkjet prints on archival rag paper, printed from original 126 format transparencies

15 1/8 x 15 1/8 in. each (38.1 x 38.1 cm)

Edition of 3 + 1 AP

Photograph: Peter Mallet

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

Nancy Holt, California Sun Signs (1972)

Installation view: Nancy Holt: Points of View, Parafin, London 2020

Photo-series of 19 inkjet prints on archival rag paper, printed from original 126 format transparencies

15 1/8 x 15 1/8 in. each (38.1 x 38.1 cm)

Edition of 3 + 1 AP

Photograph: Peter Mallet

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

framed photographs displayed in a row in a room with white walls and wood floors

Nancy Holt, California Sun Signs (1972)

Installation view: Nancy Holt: Points of View, Parafin, London 2020

Photo-series of 19 inkjet prints on archival rag paper, printed from original 126 format transparencies

15 1/8 x 15 1/8 in. each (38.1 x 38.1 cm)

Edition of 3 + 1 AP

Photograph: Peter Mallet

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

Installation view of Nancy Holt: Light and Shadow Poetics 
Curated by Lisa Le Feuvre and Beth Stryker
February 25, 2026 – May 24, 2026
MAK Center at the Schindler House
835 N. Kings Road, West Hollywood

Photograph: Joshua Schaedel
© Holt/Smithson Foundation / Licensed by Artists Rights Society, New York

an exhibition in a historic modernist house

Installation view of Nancy Holt: Light and Shadow Poetics 
Curated by Lisa Le Feuvre and Beth Stryker
February 25, 2026 – May 24, 2026
MAK Center at the Schindler House
835 N. Kings Road, West Hollywood

Photograph: Joshua Schaedel
© Holt/Smithson Foundation / Licensed by Artists Rights Society, New York

Installation view of Nancy Holt: Light and Shadow Poetics 
Curated by Lisa Le Feuvre and Beth Stryker
February 25, 2026 – May 24, 2026
MAK Center at the Schindler House
835 N. Kings Road, West Hollywood

Photograph: Joshua Schaedel
© Holt/Smithson Foundation / Licensed by Artists Rights Society, New York

an exhibition in a historic modernist house

Installation view of Nancy Holt: Light and Shadow Poetics 
Curated by Lisa Le Feuvre and Beth Stryker
February 25, 2026 – May 24, 2026
MAK Center at the Schindler House
835 N. Kings Road, West Hollywood

Photograph: Joshua Schaedel
© Holt/Smithson Foundation / Licensed by Artists Rights Society, New York

1970—1972

California Sun Signs

Nancy Holt
1972
Southern California, USA
19 inkjet prints on archival rag paper; made by the artist from original 126-format transparencies
Each 15 x 15 inches (38.1 x 38.1 cm)
Edition 3 + 1AP
© Holt/Smithson Foundation / Licensed by Artists Rights Society, New York

California Sun Signs ​stands out in Holt’s oeuvre as a remarkably playful perspective on some of her choice concepts. Featuring the word “sun” as it repeatedly appears in various commercial and infrastructural contexts throughout California, the photographic series reveals the myriad human inferences, manipulations, and conceptions of the sun. As with all of Holt’s photographic series, ​California Sun Signs ​defies the notion of a singular viewpoint, exploring instead the shifts in perspective and significance that are inextricable from the dynamic experience of active viewership.

Related Info

1966—1969
A series of twenty photographs captured along the high moor of Dartmoor National Park in Britain. Each photograph featuring an orange mark painted onto each stone marker.
Trail Markers
Nancy Holt
1969
1966—1969

A series of twenty photographs captured along the high moor of Dartmoor National Park in England, ​Trail Markers d​ocuments a subjective journey through the historic landscape.  Nancy Holt took the images in Trail Markers in late August 969 while traveling through England with Robert Smithson. The camera angle is trained downwards, with each photograph featuring an orange circle created as a guide for hikers—inviting us to assume the visual perspective of a traveler in pursuit of our path. The orange markers highlight a human construct within a vast natural expanse.

1966—1969
a flooded drainage bisected by a barbed wire fence
Texas Claims
Nancy Holt
1969
1966—1969

Photography was an essential medium for Nancy Holt. The process of viewing a particular place through the camera enabled Holt to share a singular way of seeing with others. Her photographic series operate as visual poems reflecting on the ways place is structured by the human impact on the landscape. In Texas Claims (1969), one of Holt's earliest photographic works, she shows textures of an asphalt roadway and an open field, as well as details of thistles, grasses, and flowers in the Texas countryside.

See Also