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Art Smith (jeweler)

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Spiral necklace, 1958 ca.

Arthur George "Art" Smith (1917–1982) was one of the leading modernist jewelers of the mid-20th century, and one of the few Afro-Caribbean people working in the field to reach international recognition. He trained at Cooper Union, NYU, and under Winifred Mason.[1][2]

Style

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Galaxy Necklace, ca. 1962, from the collection of the Brooklyn Museum
Model wearing a Smith bracelet designed c. 1948

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 designed to be worn by avant-garde dancers, which influenced his style. The pieces were often large. 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] Smith was friend and contemporary to many in the downtown New York City arts and fashion scene, such as sandal maker Barbara Shaum and Knobkerry's Sara Penn.[6]

Biography

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Smith was born in Cuba, after his parents emigrated there from Jamaica. They moved to New York City when he was three years old.[7][8]

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 Afro-Caribbean, and as a result was subject to attacks shortly after his store opened.[9] A fan of jazz and modern dance, he was personally acquainted with musicians of the period including Lena Horne, Harry Belafonte, Eartha Kitt and Talley Beatty.[9][10]

Smith died in 1982 of heart disease.[11]

Exhibitions and holdings

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During his life, Smith's work was featured in Vogue and Harper's Bazaar, and exhibited at the Museum of Contemporary Crafts.[9] 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][12]

One piece of Smith's sold for $22,000,[11] and a cufflink collector told the New York Times that Smith's cufflinks were the most expensive pieces in his collection.[13]

References

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  1. ^ a b Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. "Art Smith". Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  2. ^ Schon, Marbeth. "The Jewelry of Winifred Mason". Modern Silver. Archived from the original on 2015-05-20. Retrieved 2015-10-18.
  3. ^ a b "From the Village to Vogue: The Modernist Jewelry of Art Smith". Brooklyn Museum. Retrieved 2015-10-18.
  4. ^ Schrieber, Fran. "Review: From the Village to Vogue, The Modernist Jewelry of Art Smith". Modern Silver. Archived from the original on 2015-11-13. Retrieved 2015-10-18.
  5. ^ "Art Smith | Necklace". The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 2017-02-12.
  6. ^ Kitto, Svetlana (2022). Sara Penn's Knobkerry: An Oral History Sourcebook. Long Island City, NY: SculptureCenter. ISBN 978-1-7377186-0-4.
  7. ^ Russell, Charles L. (2015-12-28). Art as Adornment: The Life and Work of Arthur George Smith. Outskirts Press. ISBN 9781478743156.
  8. ^ From the Village to Vogue: The Modernist Jewelry of Art Smith. Brooklyn Museum. 2008-01-01.
  9. ^ a b c "Biography". Catalog: From the Village to Vogue: The Modernist Jewelry of Art Smith. Brooklyn Museum. 2008-01-01.
  10. ^ Tapley, Mel (1982-03-06). "Obituary: Art Smith". www.925-1000.com. New Amsterdam News. Retrieved 2015-10-18.
  11. ^ a b Smith, Nicola (2016-03-10). "Art Notes: Lebanon Resident's Book Memorializes Pioneering Jewelry Designer's Legacy". Valley News. Retrieved 2017-02-12.
  12. ^ "Arthur Smith". Museum of Arts and Design Collection Database. Archived from the original on 2016-06-24. Retrieved 2015-10-18.
  13. ^ Kahn, Eve M. (2016-07-21). "When Form Meets Function: Cuff Links Throughout the Centuries". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-02-13.
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