Kiera Falgate, Library Officer on the Central Library’s Arts Floor, tells us about the art of Andy Goldsworthy.

Andy Goldsworthy, who grew up near Harrogate, is one of the most influential and fascinating living British artists, and his work can be found from New York to Wakefield, in pristine galleries and in sheep fields. In the film Leaning into the Wind, Goldsworthy discusses developing his art from traditional craftsmanship to large scale machine assistance for increasingly bigger projects.

The Art Library holds many books about Goldsworthy, such as Time (2008), which includes some of his most beautiful work working only with natural materials such as rain, snow, leaves, mud, stone and wood, arranged into poignant sculptural interventions, then left to rot, wash away, blow away, or be grown over. The fundamental ephemerality of Goldsworthy’s gently question ideas of preservation and permanence in art, especially at a time when we are thinking about our environmental impact more than ever.

We also stock exhibition catalogues and accompanying literature from Goldsworthy’s exhibitions with our neighbours Leeds Art Gallery (Hand to Earth: Andy Goldsworthy Sculpture 1976-1990, Rain Sun Snow Hail Mist Calm: Photoworks). We have a thorough archive of Leeds Art Gallery exhibition catalogues; just ask a member of staff for access.

If you’re interested in Andy Goldsworthy, we also recommend checking our catalogue for Richard Long, Christo & Jeanne-Claude and the land art movement.

Available for loan from the Art Library now:
The Andy Goldsworthy Project, Molly Donovan and Tina Fiske, 2010, 730.92 GOL
Wood, Andy Goldsworthy, 1996, 730.92 GOL
Enclosure, Andy Goldsworthy, 2007, 730.92 GOL
Wall, Andy Goldsworthy, 2001, 730.92 GOL
Time, Andy Goldsworthy, 2008, 730.92 GOL
Destination Art, Amy Dempsey, 2006
Land Art, Michael Lailach, 2007
Richard Long: Heaven and Earth, Clarie Wallis, 2009
Christo & Jeanne-Claude, Jacob Baal-Teshuva, 1995