Wandering Rocks

1967

Tony Smith

Sculptor, American, 1912 - 1980

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Tony Smith's Wandering Rocks joins tetrahedrons and octahedrons to create five individual but related objects that eschew the monumental (see Moondog, 1964) and rational (see #Die, 1962/68) approaches of his earlier works. Each element in Wandering Rocks has a separate name—Crocus, Shaft, Dud, Slide, and Smohawk—and is arranged as part of a whole according to the site.
Sculpture Garden, Northeast Quadrant
On View

Sculpture Garden, Northeast Quadrant

Artwork overview

  • Medium

    painted steel

  • Credit Line

    Gift of the Collectors Committee

  • Dimensions

    overall ("Smohawk" [component #1]): 61 x 71.1 x 121.9 cm (24 x 28 x 48 in.)
    overall ("Shaft" [component #2]): 116.8 x 71.1 x 162.6 cm (46 x 28 x 64 in.)
    overall ("Dud" [component #3]): 61 x 83.8 x 212.1 cm (24 x 33 x 83 1/2 in.)
    overall ("Slide" [component #4]): 61 x 71.1 x 162.6 cm (24 x 28 x 64 in.)
    overall ("Crocus" [component #5]): 116.8 x 71.1 x 106.7 cm (46 x 28 x 42 in.)
    gross weight (component #1): 367 lb. (166.47 kg)
    gross weight (component #2): 623 lb. (282.591 kg)
    gross weight (component #3): 742 lb. (336.569 kg)
    gross weight (component #4): 449 lb. (203.665 kg)
    gross weight (component #5): 361 lb. (163.749 kg)

  • Accession

    1981.53.1

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(Pace Gallery, New York); purchased 8 December 1981 by NGA.

Associated Names

Bibliography

1989

  • Strick, Jeremy. Twentieth Century Painting and Sculpture: Selections for the Tenth Anniversary of the East Building. Washington, D.C., 1989: 110, repro. 111.

1994

  • Sculpture: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1994: 221, repro.

1998

  • Storr, Robert. Tony Smith: Architect, Painter, Sculptor. The Museum of Modern Art, New York, 1998: 27, 28, repro. 164.

2021

  • May, Katherine. "Twenty Years of Repainting Tony Smith." Facture: conservation, science, art history 5 (2021): 146-173, fig. 2.

Inscriptions

on plate on underside of each of five pieces: Tony Smith / 67/69 4/5

Wikidata ID

Q63861119

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