Circle I

1962

David Smith

Artist, American, 1906 - 1965

Made with sheets of painted steel, an orange ring stands upright on a narrow white base in this freestanding sculpture. A black strip and a gray strip are affixed to the edges of the ring. The black strip is horizontal across the top of the circle, attached to the back side of the ring, and the narrower but longer gray strip is angled across the top right quarter of the circle. The sculpture is photographed near a wall clad with pale pinkish-gray marble and a similarly colored floor.
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On View

NGA, East Building, EM-203, N

Artwork overview

  • Medium

    painted steel

  • Credit Line

    Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund

  • Dimensions

    overall: 200.6 x 273.6 x 45.7 cm (79 x 107 11/16 x 18 in.) gross weight: 760 lb. (344.734 kg)

  • Accession

    1977.60.1

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

The artist [1906-1965], Bolton Landing, New York; his estate; sold by the estate by 1969 to (Marlborough Galleries, New York); purchased 17 November 1977 by NGA.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1982

  • David Smith: Seven Major Themes, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1982-1983, no. 1 of Circles, repro.

2000

  • Crossroads of American Sculpture, Indianapolis Museum of Art, 2000-2001, unnumbered catalogue, repro.

2014

  • Raw Color: The Circles of David Smith, Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, 2014, no. 2, figs. 1a, 1b,10,15,18, 19.

Bibliography

1980

  • Wilmerding, John. American Masterpieces from the National Gallery of Art. National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1980: 36, repro.

1988

  • Wilmerding, John. American Masterpieces from the National Gallery of Art. Rev. ed. National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1988: 44, repro.

1992

  • National Gallery of Art, Washington. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1992: 272, repro.

1994

  • Sculpture: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1994: 219, repro.

1995

  • Marshall, Albert. "A Study of the Surfaces of David Smith's Sculpture." Studies in the History of Art 51 (1995): 97, 101.

Inscriptions

on edge of base: David Smith CI.I 10-17-62

Wikidata ID

Q63854588

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