Boyle Family

RUST STUDY

1963

Boyle Family, a collaborative group of artists, is known for its “Earth studies” — site-specific black-and-white 3-D casts of the earth. The communal group, started by husband and wife team Mark Boyle (1934–2005) and Joan Hills (b. 1931), later came to include the couple’s children and even their friends and neighbors, who assisted in the artistic process.

Boyle came from a poetry background, while Hills studied art and architecture. The two sought to objectively present reality in their work by decontextualizing randomly selected subjects. “We want to see without motive and without reminiscence this cliff, this street, this field, this rock, this earth,” they’ve said.

In addition to exploring natural elements, animals, minerals and society, Boyle Family has collaborated with many musicians, artists and dancers, including Jimi Hendrix and Soft Machine.

Find a collection of Boyle Family art on 1stDibs.

(Biography provided by Phi Auctions)