David Smith: Works. Writings. Interviews

Profoundly influenced by the welded sculptures of Julio Gonzalez and of Picasso, David Smith devoted himself entirely to metal sculptures from steel and scrap material. Almost single handedly, Smith changed the nature of sculpture in America, giving it a passion, seriousness and an identity it did not previously possess. With his vision, courage, and his exquisite aesthetic gifts, he paved the way for Donald Judd, Richard Serra and many other American sculptors, who elaborated upon his formal and conceptual innovations and accepted his challenge to work and act in ways that would assure that sculpture and sculptors in America would be treated with respected. Before Smith, sculpture was a marginal activity; after him, it was an essential part of the American imagination. Sarah Hamill selected the writings and the previously unpublished interview with poet Frank O'Hara and wrote the central essay about the artist, drawing particular attention to the tradition of iron sculpture and the artist's vital relationship with photography. 120 illustrations