Art Smith (jeweler): Difference between revisions
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'''Art Smith''' (1917–1982) was one of the leading modernist jewelers of the mid-20th century. He trained at [[Cooper Union]], [[New York University|NYU]], and under [[Winifred Mason]].<ref name=CH>{{cite web |url=https://collection.cooperhewitt.org/people/18049319/ |title=Art Smith |author=Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum |accessdate=17 October 2015 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title = The Jewelry of Winifred Mason|url = http://www.modernsilver.com/winifredmason.html|accessdate = 2015-10-18|publisher = Modern Silver|last = Schon|first = Marbeth}}</ref> |
'''Art Smith''' (1917–1982) was one of the leading modernist jewelers of the mid-20th century, and one of the only African-Americans in the field. He trained at [[Cooper Union]], [[New York University|NYU]], and under [[Winifred Mason]].<ref name=CH>{{cite web |url=https://collection.cooperhewitt.org/people/18049319/ |title=Art Smith |author=Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum |accessdate=17 October 2015 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title = The Jewelry of Winifred Mason|url = http://www.modernsilver.com/winifredmason.html|accessdate = 2015-10-18|publisher = Modern Silver|last = Schon|first = Marbeth}}</ref> |
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== Style == |
== Style == |
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[[File:Galaxy Necklace, ca. 1962.jpg|thumb|Galaxy Necklace, ca. 1962, from the collection of the [[Brooklyn Museum]]]] |
[[File:Galaxy Necklace, ca. 1962.jpg|thumb|Galaxy Necklace, ca. 1962, from the collection of the [[Brooklyn Museum]]]] |
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Smith's jewelry has been described as:<blockquote>Inspired by surrealism, biomorphicism, and primitivism ... dynamic in its size and form.<ref name=":0" /></blockquote>Many of his pieces were extremely large, and designed to be worn by avant-garde dancers. This influenced his style. Of his own work, he said:<blockquote>A piece of jewelry is in a sense an object that is not complete in itself. Jewelry is a ‘what is it?’ until you relate it to the body. The body is a component in design just as air and space are. Like line, form, and color, the body is a material to work with. It is one of the basic inspirations in creating form.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Review: From the Village to Vogue, The Modernist Jewelry of Art Smith|url = http://www.modernsilver.com/villagetovogue/villagetovogue.htm|website = Modern Silver|accessdate = 2015-10-18|last = Schrieber|first = Fran}}</ref></blockquote> |
Smith's jewelry has been described as:<blockquote>Inspired by surrealism, biomorphicism, and primitivism ... dynamic in its size and form.<ref name=":0" /></blockquote>Many of his pieces were extremely large, and designed to be worn by avant-garde dancers. This influenced his style. Of his own work, he said:<blockquote>A piece of jewelry is in a sense an object that is not complete in itself. Jewelry is a ‘what is it?’ until you relate it to the body. The body is a component in design just as air and space are. Like line, form, and color, the body is a material to work with. It is one of the basic inspirations in creating form.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Review: From the Village to Vogue, The Modernist Jewelry of Art Smith|url = http://www.modernsilver.com/villagetovogue/villagetovogue.htm|website = Modern Silver|accessdate = 2015-10-18|last = Schrieber|first = Fran}}</ref></blockquote>[[Alexander Calder]] was also an influence.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/497596|title=Art Smith {{!}} Necklace|last=|first=|date=|website=The Metropolitan Museum of Art|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=|access-date=2017-02-12}}</ref> |
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== Biography == |
== Biography == |
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Revision as of 23:51, 12 February 2017
Art Smith (1917–1982) was one of the leading modernist jewelers of the mid-20th century, and one of the only African-Americans in the field. He trained at Cooper Union, NYU, and under Winifred Mason.[1][2]
Style
Smith's jewelry has been described as:
Inspired by surrealism, biomorphicism, and primitivism ... dynamic in its size and form.[3]
Many of his pieces were extremely large, and designed to be worn by avant-garde dancers. This influenced his style. Of his own work, he said:
A piece of jewelry is in a sense an object that is not complete in itself. Jewelry is a ‘what is it?’ until you relate it to the body. The body is a component in design just as air and space are. Like line, form, and color, the body is a material to work with. It is one of the basic inspirations in creating form.[4]
Alexander Calder was also an influence.[5]
Biography
Smith was born in Cuba, after his parents emigrated there from Jamaica. They moved to New York City when he was three.[6][7]
As an adult, Smith worked in Manhattan's Greenwich Village, running a shop there from 1946 until 1979 (shortly before his death). Smith was a gay African-American, and as a result was subject to attacks shortly after his store opened.[8] A fan of jazz and modern dance, he was personally acquainted with musicians of the period including Lena Horne, Harry Belafonte, and Talley Beatty.[8][9]
Exhibitions and holdings
During his life, Smith's work was featured in Vogue and Harper's Bazaar, and exhibited at the Museum of Contemporary Crafts.[8] Posthumously, Smith's work was the subject of an exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum in 2008-2011,[3] and is held in the permanent collection of the Cooper Hewitt Museum, Museum of Art and Design, and Boston Museum of Fine Arts.[1][10]
References
- ^ a b Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. "Art Smith". Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- ^ Schon, Marbeth. "The Jewelry of Winifred Mason". Modern Silver. Retrieved 2015-10-18.
- ^ a b "From the Village to Vogue: The Modernist Jewelry of Art Smith". Brooklyn Museum. Retrieved 2015-10-18.
- ^ Schrieber, Fran. "Review: From the Village to Vogue, The Modernist Jewelry of Art Smith". Modern Silver. Retrieved 2015-10-18.
- ^ "Art Smith | Necklace". The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 2017-02-12.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|dead-url=(help) - ^ Russell, Charles L. (2015-12-28). Art as Adornment: The Life and Work of Arthur George Smith. Outskirts Press. ISBN 9781478743156.
- ^ From the Village to Vogue: The Modernist Jewelry of Art Smith. Brooklyn Museum. 2008-01-01.
- ^ a b c "Biography". Catalog: From the Village to Vogue: The Modernist Jewelry of Art Smith. Brooklyn Museum. 2008-01-01.
- ^ Tapley, Mel (1982-03-06). "Obituary: Art Smith". www.925-1000.com. New Amsterdam News. Retrieved 2015-10-18.
- ^ "Arthur Smith". Museum of Arts and Design Collection Database. Retrieved 2015-10-18.
External links
- Video of Brooklyn Museum exhibition
- Oral history interview with Art Smith, 1971 August 24-31, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
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