Environmental Art

The question of whether art imitates nature is one of the great philosophical debates of our modern times. However, the real quandary today, lies in art's defense of nature. The following selection of artworks is committed to your discovery of artists that defend and engender an ecological awareness. Art is to be reconsidered as a tool for raising environmental awareness of the fight against climate change. Many actors stand out in their artistic stance for the planet: Banksy, Olafur Eliasson, Lorenzo Quinn, to many a few... Many of these highly recognized artists use their fame to spread awareness. At Artsper, talented emerging artists such as Jérémy Gobé or Angeles Peña have joined this ecological crusade with projects that hold environmental protection at their core. 

The environment is becoming an increasingly present topic in the global art market. In 2022, the international fair Art Paris has two curatorial themes planned out in its program: "Natural Stories" and "Art & Environment". These two themes are part of a desire to show how nature and the environment can be considered in relation to art as the essential source of inspiration of the artist. The fair, taking place this year in the Grand Palais Éphémère (an architectural structure itself designed to address environmental issues), has been designed through a eco-conscious strategy. As its core mission, Art Paris 2022 wishes to demonstrate the belief that art and the environment can be in perfect symbiosis, both in content and form.

Environmental art comes in different forms. Land Art, by the likes of Robert Smithson, Andy Goldsworthy and Nancy Holt, consists of modifying the environment itself by using natural or existing materials. Reclamation Art is literally involved in the preservation of already polluted places by rehabilitating and "re-naturalizing" them into their natural form. Finally, one of the most fundamental movements of environmental art is Recycled Art—simply based on the recycling of industrial materials. Whether it is car bodies, paper, scraps of fabric or even cigarette butts, these raw materials will be shaped and assembled to create works of art. The artist César Baldaccini, through his series of compressions, or Vik Muniz by means of recycled paper, are among the major players of this style. In conclusion, the pursuance of the artistic preferences versus that of environmental protection are not necessarily mutually exclusive principles. Let us convince you of this with the following selection of works chosen by Artsper's experts with an ecological awareness in mind.