Portrait of Robert Smithson

Robert Smithson Paintings: The 4 Most Famous, Through a Gallery's Eye

Updated November 2026 · ranked by our popularity score (searches, visits and orders for each work) · 6 works by Robert Smithson in our catalogue

In short

To the gallery's eye, Robert Smithson's most famous painting is Non Site - Site Uncertain, whose original hangs in the Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit. Three-Sided Vortex (1966) and Ruin of Map of Hipparchus (100 B.C.) in Oswego Lake Quadrangle (1954 55) (1967) complete the trio every eye recognises. Of the 6 works by Robert Smithson in our catalog, the gallery presents the 4 most famous below, each original with its year, its museum and what makes it unique.

1938 – 1973, Passaic Most works: Detroit Institute of Arts
Non Site - Site Uncertain by Robert Smithson1. Non Site - Site Uncertain Three-Sided Vortex (1966) by Robert Smithson2. Three-Sided Vortex 1966 Ruin of Map of Hipparchus (100 B.C.) in Oswego Lake Quadrangle (1954 55) (1967) by Robert Smithson3. Ruin of Map of Hipparchus (100 B.C.) in Oswego Lake Quadrangle (1954 55) 1967

The gallery's top 10 Robert Smithson paintings

The museums that keep Robert Smithson's originals

The 2 museums that hold the most of the paintings on this page.

Museum City Works by Robert Smithson Paintings from this list
Detroit Institute of Arts, DetroitDetroit Institute of Arts Detroit 1 Non Site - Site Uncertain
Chrysler Museum of Art, NorfolkChrysler Museum of Art Norfolk 1 Three-Sided Vortex

Robert Smithson, the signature paintings of each year

5 years, 1966 to 1970, hold Robert Smithson's whole dated career on this page: a short one, seen here year by year through its most famous originals.

Works per year

Pick a year to see its originals.

Robert Smithson's paintings: the gallery answers

Which Robert Smithson painting is the most famous of all?Reveal the answer

Non Site - Site Uncertain, Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit. Three-Sided Vortex (1966) and Ruin of Map of Hipparchus (100 B.C.) in Oswego Lake Quadrangle (1954 55) (1967) come next.

How many works did Robert Smithson create?Reveal the answer

Our catalog holds 6 works by Robert Smithson, dated from 1966 to 1970.

Where do Robert Smithson's most famous originals hang?Reveal the answer

Mostly in Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit) and Chrysler Museum of Art (Norfolk). The museum table above lists them all.

Which are Robert Smithson's earliest and latest famous works?Reveal the answer

On this page, the earliest is Three-Sided Vortex (1966) and the latest Torn Photograph from the 2nd Stop (Rubble) (2nd Mountain of Six Stops on a Section) from Artists Photographs (1970).

Robert Smithson: the artist

Early Life and Artistic Beginnings

  • Born: January 2, 1938, in Passaic, New Jersey
  • Early years spent in Rutherford and Clifton, New Jersey
  • Studied painting and drawing at the Art Students League of New York (1955-1956)
  • Early artwork explored collage influenced by homoerotic themes, science fiction, and pop art. Primarily identified as a painter during this period.
  • Influenced by William Carlos Williams, who was his pediatrician.

The Shift to Minimalism and Conceptual Art

  • After a three-year break from the art world, emerged in 1964 as a proponent of the minimalist movement.
  • Abandoned figurative work, focusing on glass sheet and neon lighting tubes exploring visual refraction and mirroring.
  • Developed interest in entropy (the second law of thermodynamics) – decay, renewal, chaos, order, non-sites, and earthworks. Saw entropy not as a disadvantage but as a form of transformation.
  • Associated with minimalist artists like Nancy Holt (his wife), Robert Morris, and Sol LeWitt.
  • Became a critic for *Arts Magazine* and *Artforum*, gaining recognition as a writer before his art.

Land Art and Earthworks: Spiral Jetty and Beyond

  • Fascination with industrial areas in New Jersey led to the development of "Non-Sites" – sculptures incorporating earth and rocks from specific locations, often combined with mirrors or glass.
  • Spiral Jetty (1970): His most famous work, a massive coil of basalt rock extending into the Great Salt Lake in Utah. A key example of land art, exploring themes of entropy, time, and geological processes.
  • Explored temporary sculptures using mirrors in the Yucatan Peninsula, documented in "Incidents of Mirror-Travel in the Yucatan."
  • Recovered 18th- and 19th-century conceptions of landscape architecture, influencing his later earthwork explorations.

Theoretical Writings and Landscape Perspectives

  • Wrote extensively on art theory, including "A Heap of Language," exploring how writing could become an artwork.
  • Examined Frederick Law Olmsted's design for Central Park in New York City, recovering issues of site specificity, human intervention, and the picturesque landscape.
  • His writings demonstrate a deep engagement with history, philosophy, geology, and cultural theory.

Legacy and Historical Significance

  • Died: July 20, 1973, in Tucson, Arizona (due to a heart attack while hiking).
  • Considered a pivotal figure in Land Art and Earthworks movements.
  • His work expanded the definition of art, blurring boundaries between sculpture, landscape, and natural processes.
  • Influenced generations of artists with his conceptual approach, exploration of entropy, and engagement with geological time scales.
  • The Holt/Smithson Foundation continues to preserve and promote his legacy.
All 6 works by Robert Smithson →