12 Facts About Andy Goldsworthy

Andy Goldsworthy was born on 26 July 1956 and is an English sculptor, photographer, and environmentalist who produces site-specific sculptures and land art situated in natural and urban settings.

Andy Goldsworthy grew up on the Harrogate side of Leeds.

Andy Goldsworthy moved to Scotland in 1985, first living in Langholm and then settling a year later in Penpont, where he still resides.

In 1993, Andy Goldsworthy received an honorary degree from the University of Bradford.

In 2003, Andy Goldsworthy produced a commissioned work for the entry courtyard of San Francisco's de Young Museum called "Drawn Stone", which echoes San Francisco's frequent earthquakes and their effects.

Andy Goldsworthy's installation included a giant crack in the pavement that broke off into smaller cracks, and broken limestone, which could be used for benches.

In contrast to other artists who work with the land, most of Andy Goldsworthy's works are small in scale and temporary in their installation.

Andy Goldsworthy's process reveals a preoccupation with temporality and a specific attention to materials which visibly age and decay, a view which stands in contrast to monumentalism in Land Art.

Andy Goldsworthy is generally considered the founder of modern rock balancing.

Andy Goldsworthy is the subject of a 2001 documentary feature film called Rivers and Tides, directed by Thomas Riedelsheimer.

In 2018, Riedelsheimer released a second documentary on Andy Goldsworthy, Leaning Into the Wind.

In 1982, Andy Goldsworthy married Judith Gregson; they had four children together before separating.