Voltri VII

1962

David Smith

Artist, American, 1906 - 1965

This iron, freestanding sculpture consists of two wheels connected by an upward curving axle, an abstract, carriage-like structure, and five wavy lines standing upright along the top. The wheels each have six spokes and thin rims. In this photograph, the upside-down, U-shaped axle is bolted to the left end of a horizontal strip of iron, which ends to the right with an oval loop. That end of the strip is supported by a tall, narrow, wedge-shaped piece of iron. Five thin iron strips are spaced evenly across the horizontal bar. The top edges are rounded, and they curve in shallow, angular S shapes. The sculpture stands on a pale pink, polished marble floor against a wall with textured gray marble blocks. The scale of the space shows that the sculpture is at least as tall as an average person.
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On View

NGA, East Building, EG-101, FLOOR

Artwork overview

  • Medium

    iron

  • Credit Line

    Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund

  • Dimensions

    overall: 215.8 × 311.6 × 110.5 cm (84 15/16 × 122 11/16 × 43 1/2 in.)
    gross weight: 453.597 kg (1000 lb.)

  • Accession

    1977.60.4

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

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

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1962

  • Spoleto Festival, Italy, 1962.

1966

  • David Smith, Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University, Cambridge, 1966, no. 443.

1978

  • American Art at Mid-Century: The Subjects of the Artist, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1978-1979, no. 4 of Voltri checklist, fig. 30.

1982

  • David Smith: Seven Major Themes, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1982-1983, p. 185, repro.

1985

  • Transformations in Sculpture, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, 1985-1986.

1986

  • David Smith: Skulpturen - Zeichnungen, Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Düsseldorf; Städelsches Kunstinstitut, Frankfurt am Main, Federal Republic of Germany; Whitechapel Art Gallery, London, England, 1986-1987.

1993

  • Picasso and the Age of Iron, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; Museum of Modern Art of Fort Worth, Texas, 1993, no. 124, repro.

1994

  • David Smith Retrospective, Sezon Museum of Art, Tokyo; Shizuoka Prefectural Museum of Art; The Museum of Modern Art, Shiga; Kawamura Memorial Museum of Art, Chiba, 1994, no. 40, repro.

1996

  • David Smith, 1906-1965, IVAM, Centre Julio González, Valencia; Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, Madrid, 1996, unnumbered catalogue, repro. (shown only in Madrid).

2006

  • David Smith: A Centennial, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; Musée national d'art moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris; Tate Modern, London, 2006-2007, no. 90 (English cat.), no. 42 (French cat.), repro.

Bibliography

1964

  • Carandente, Giovanni. Voltron. Philadelphia, 1964: 34, repro.

1968

  • Grey, Cleve, ed. David Smith by David Smith: sculpture and writings. New York, 1968: 44, repro.

1971

  • Krauss, Rosalind E. Terminal Iron Works. Cambridge, 1971: 34, 35, repro.

1977

  • Krauss, Rosalind E. The Sculpture of David Smith: a catalogue raisonné. New York, 1977: 101

1991

  • Brown, J. Carter. "The Designing of the National Gallery of Art's East Building" in The Mall in Washington, 1791-1991, Richard Longstreth, ed. Studies in the History of Art 30 (1991): repro. 292.

  • Gingold, Diane J., and Elizabeth A.C. Weil. The Corporate Patron. New York, 1991: 24-25, color repro.

1994

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

1997

  • Hughes, Robert. _ American Visions: The Epic History of Art in America_. New York, 1997: 502-503, color fig. 298.

2006

  • David Smith: A Centennial. Exh. cat. Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris; Tate Modern, London. New York, 2006: 27 fig. 16, 31.

Inscriptions

on horizontal bar projecting above wheels: David Smith 1962; on horizontal bar, top center: VOLTRI VII

Wikidata ID

Q63854591

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