David Smith: form in color

Abstract

David Smith (1906-1965) is widely considered one of the foremost artists of the 20th century. For the artist, there was no conceptual boundary between sculpture, painting, and drawing. The resulting works derive much of their power from this radically open-ended approach. Whereas the physical qualities of Smith's welded-steel sculptures transmit a strong industrial presence, their surfaces carry gestural and tactile imprints, often of hand-applied paint. The impact of his work results from his insistence that sculpture have the same visual impact as painting and drawing, and that drawing and painting have the same spatial weight as sculpture. Focusing on 20 works from the late 1950s until the Ưartist's untimely and sudden death in 1965, 'David Smith: Form in Color' charts the development of these stunning works with Ưextensive illustrations and historic images culled from the archives of The Estate of David Smith. Exhibition: Hauser & Wirth, Zurich, Switzerland (12.06. - 18.09.2016).

Contents

Preface / Iwan and Manuela Wirth -- David Smith: Form in color / Peter Stevens -- Form and gesture: David Smith's painted sculpture in the 1960s / Michelle White -- Plates -- David Smith: the artist, the maker, the man / Neil Wenman -- David Smith 1906-1965.