David Smith (sculptor)

David Smith (March 6, 1906 Decatur, Indiana - May 23, 1965 Bennington, Vermont) was an American sculptor of Abstract Expressionism mostly know for large steel adstract geometric sculptures.

Related Topics:
March 6 - 1906 - Decatur, Indiana - May 23 - 1965 - Bennington, Vermont - Abstract Expressionism

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

He studied at Ohio University and the University of Notre Dame before joining the Art Students League of New York where he discovered the works of Picasso, Mondrian, Kandinsky, and the Russian Constructivists, and became friends with Arshile Gorky, Willem de Kooning, and Jackson Pollock.

Related Topics:
Ohio University - University of Notre Dame - Art Students League of New York - Picasso - Mondrian - Kandinsky - Russian Constructivists - Arshile Gorky - Willem de Kooning - Jackson Pollock

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Profoundly influenced by the welded metal sculptures of Julio González and of Picasso, Smith started devoting himself entirely to metal sculptures, constructing compositions from steel and "found" scrap material.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 1940, Smith created the Terminal Iron Works studio in upstate New York and started enlarging the size of many of his welded sculptures, moving to installations that increased in size as time passed by.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Museum of Modern Art, New York, presented a Smith retrospective in 1957 and organized a major traveling exhibition of his work in 1961. n 1963, he began his Cubi series of monumental, geometric steel sculptures, which are considered some of the most important works of 20th century American sculpture.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

He died in a car crash near Bennington, Vermont in 1965.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~