Red Slate Circle
- Artist: Richard Long CBE
- Date: 1988
- Medium: Slate
- Dimensions: displayed: 370 x 4000 x 4000 mm
- Museum: Tate Modern
- Collection record: Tate Modern website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
This is the Red Slate Circle by Richard Long CBE. Created in 1988, the work is a four‑metre circle made from red slate pieces collected along the Vermont‑New York border. Long arranges the slabs on the floor so that none touch, leaving their jagged, unfinished edges exposed. The simple geometry contrasts with the organic texture of the stone, highlighting the tension between conceptual order and natural material. Long’s practice of walking and marking the landscape informs this piece; the circle in the gallery echoes a landscape gesture while inviting viewers to consider the relationship between man‑made structure and the earth. The installation, part of Long’s exploration of land art and minimalism, shows how everyday material can become a profound statement about space and environment.
See it in person
Red Slate Circle is in the collection of Tate Modern on Bankside, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
