Five paths | galeria mario sequera braga portugal 2004

Richard Long, a conceptual artist, studied art at the West of England College from 1962 to 1965 and graduated from St Martins’s School of Art in 1968, London.

Long’s work comes from his love of nature and through the experience of making solitary walks. Long never makes significant alterations to the landscapes he passes through. Instead he marks the ground or adjusts the natural features of a place by constructing sculptures from rocks or similar found materials or by leaving simple traces. like for example a line or circle made by walking. These conceptual landmarks are then documented by photo, text and maps. His work explores relationships between time, distance, geography, measurement and movement.

Dusty boots line | The Sahara 1988

Walking a circle in mist | Scotland 1986

Although he works in the landscape most of the time he also exhibits his work in galleries and museau. These “indoor” pieces consists out of sculptures made with naturial materials, Text art and photographs.

A rock line | Himalaya 1975

At this moment, 3 June - 6 September 2009, a major retrospective exhibition called Heaven and Earth is held at the Tate Gallery Britain in London. It Features over 80 works including sculptures, large-scale mud wall works, and new photographic and text works documenting walks around the world. 

Photos by Richard Long | Video by Time out London