Past Exhibition

David Smith

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.
David Smith, Circle I, 1962, painted steel, Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund, 1977.60.1

Details

  • Dates

    -

  • Locations

    East Building, All Levels, Upper Level, Northwest, Pod II (20,000 sq. ft.)
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.
David Smith, Circle I, 1962, painted steel, Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund, 1977.60.1

Overview: Examples were on view from the 7 series of 400 welded metal sculptures executed by David Smith between 1951 and 1965, the year of his death. 63 of the works were made at Smith's home near Bolton Landing on Lake George, New York, where the artist used the open fields to place and store his pieces.

Organization: The exhibition was organized by E.A. Carmean Jr; it was designed by Gaillard Ravenel, Mark Leithauser, and Carmean. Gordon Anson designed the lighting.

Sponsor: The exhibition was supported by a grant from the American Medical Association.

Attendance: 119,224

Catalog: David Smith, by E.A. Carmean Jr. Washington, DC: National Gallery of Art, 1982.

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