Michael Heizer: Levitated Mass
Levitated Mass by artist Michael Heizer is composed of a 456-foot-long slot constructed on LACMA's campus, over which is placed a 340-ton granite megalith. As with other works by the artist, such as Double Negative (1969), the monumental negative form is key to the experience of the artwork. Heizer conceived of the artwork in 1968, but discovered an appropriate boulder only decades later, in Riverside County, California. At 340 tons, the boulder is one of the largest megaliths moved since ancient times. Taken whole, Levitated Mass speaks to the expanse of art history, from ancient traditions of creating artworks from megalithic stone, to modern forms of abstract geometries and cutting-edge feats of engineering. Frequently asked questions. (PDF | 234kb)
UPDATE: The Journey to LACMA
Classroom Activity Guide (PDF | 829kb)
Image: Michael Heizer, preliminary sketch for Levitated Mass, 2011, courtesy of the artist © Michael Heizer.
Transportation made possible by 
The Megalith Arrives at LACMA
Transport of the megalith began on the night of Febrary 28th and took place over eleven consecutive evenings. Here, the megalith arrives at LACMA.
Levitated Mass: Planning for the Final Leg of the Journey
For those of you following the journey of the megalith that is to be part of Michael Heizer’s Levitated Mass, Friday night is the moment you’ve been waiting for. Starting around 10–11 pm, the transporter will leave its last stop—on Figueroa Street just north of Florence Avenue—and will travel its final leg to LACMA...
Levitated Mass: What Next?
Now that the 340-ton megalith has completed its 11-night, 105-mile journey, what happens next? I asked John Bowsher, project manager for Levitated Mass, that very question. “The spectacle’s over,” he said. “Now we make the artwork.” As difficult as it was to transport the giant boulder from Jurupa Valley to the middle of Los Angeles...
