Walter De Maria: The Lightning Field, by Kenneth Baker, with a preface by Lynn Cooke, New Haven, 2008. Hardcover, 160 pages, 1 color illus. 7 1/8 x 9 1/2 inches
Walter De Maria's Lightning Field (1977) is one of the 20th century's most significant works of art. Situated in a remote area of desert in southwestern New Mexico, it comprises 400 polished, stainless-steel poles (spaced 220 feet apart) installed in a grid measuring one mile by one kilometer. A sculpture to be explored on foot, The Lightning Field is intended to be experienced over an extended period of time.