Meg Webster, a land artist known for creating ephemeral works using natural materials like soil, salt, and plants, is now 82 and grappling with her legacy. Her current exhibition at the Paula Cooper Gallery in New York marks a reflective turn, as she considers what will remain of her practice after she is gone.
This matters because Webster represents a generation of land and environmental artists whose work is inherently impermanent, challenging traditional notions of art as a durable commodity. Her late-career shift toward institutional recognition raises broader questions about how the art world values—and preserves—art that is designed to decay.