LACMA Los Angeles County Museum of Art

David Smith

03 Apr - 24 Jul 2011

David Smith
Ziv IV, Painted steel, 1961
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Inc., New York, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Howard Lipman
© Estate of David Smith/VAGA, New York, Photo by David Heald, courtesy The Estate of David Smith.
DAVID SMITH
Cubes and Anarchy
3 April – 24 July, 2011

This is the first major thematic exhibition devoted to the work of David Smith (1906-65). Throughout his career, what Smith called "basic geometric form" was a powerful touchstone. Cubes and Anarchy offers a fresh interpretation of Smith, revealing geometric abstraction as a leitmotif deeply connected to the artist's self-definition as a workingman and his need to reconcile that, through his interest in constructivism, with his identity as a modern artist.

The exhibition brings together over 100 works, including the largest grouping of Smith's monumental Cubis and Zigs brought together in more than twenty-five years. Cubes and Anarchyplaces these masterpieces in context with the artist's earlier works for the first time. The show includes sculptures, drawings, paintings and photographs, many provided by the Estate of David Smith, including revelatory sketchbooks and photos, only a few of which have been exhibited previously.

This exhibition was organized by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and made possible by Alice and Nahum Lainer, the National Endowment for the Arts, Gagosian Gallery, and the Steven F. Roth Family Foundation. Additional support was provided by the Steaven K. and Judith G. Jones Foundation, Myron Laskin, Agnes Gund, Dorothy R. Sherwood, Terri and Michael Smooke, the Dedalus Foundation, Ellie and Mark Lainer, and the Lipman Family Foundation. This exhibition is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities. The installation was designed by Levin & Associates Architects, Brenda A. Levin FAIA.
 

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