Andy Goldsworthy (b. 1956)

In September 1991, environmental land artist Andy Goldsworthy held his first solo exhibition in the United States, at the Arts Club of Chicago. Entitled Sand / Leaves: Michigan Dunes, August 1991. Illinois Woods, September 1991, the exhibition involved one-week stays on a beach in Michigan and also at a wooded area in Illinois. Working day and night in all weather conditions, Goldsworthy created 39 impermanent pieces of sand and leaves, which he documented in colour photographs. The exhibition included the photographs plus several installations made of leaves and sand from the same places. Some installations were for the wall, others for the floor. The present work is one of the original leaf works from the exhibition. Goldsworthy has constructed a beautiful wreath out of, perhaps, two different types of Illinois maple leaves. The leaves are woven tightly together to form the circular wreath, and are held in position by an intricate interconnecting maze of twigs and blackthorn stems.