David Smith: Phaidon Focus

One of the best-known American sculptors of the modern period, David Smith (1906 – 1965) was a true innovator. He revolutionized the possibilities of metal sculpture by introducing the industrial process of welding and economical materials such as steel into the studio. As a result, Smith was able to manipulate metal into the most extraordinarily balanced compositions – using metal to ‘draw in space’.

Smith was a pioneer in abstract sculpture – previously a figurative medium – and achieved a new scope by creating layered planes and burnishing or painting surfaces. A reclusive figure, Smith spent increasing time at his studio and foundry at rural Bolton Landing, the surrounding fields of which became filled with his monumental sculptures. Predominantly known as a sculptor, the book also sheds light on his prolific practice of drawing, sketching, writing and photographing his sculptures.