Known as one of the major innovative artists of the 20th century because of his earthworks and his views on the definition of art, Robert Smithson is frequently associated in people's minds with Spiral Jetty, a 1970 earthwork that is a 1,500 foot coil of earth and black basalt extending into Utah's Great Salt Lake at Rozel Point 48 miles from Salt Lake City. However, shortly after its installation, the work disappeared because it was covered by rising water levels and remained hidden until the 21st century when drought caused the water to recede.

In May, 1999, he was featured in ARTNews magazine as one of the top twenty-five most influential artists of the 20th-century western world. Of him ...