Fittingly named considering his remarkable talent, Art Smith was based in Greenwich Village in New York. In 1948, he moved to the neighborhood from nearby Little Italy to escape racial hostility, and there developed a personal variant of organic design, then prevalent among American jewelers. He adapted the familiar, curvilinear lines of the style, bringing to it heightened drama and notes taken from modernist sculpture and African art. “The body is a component in design,” Smith wrote, “just as air and space are.
Like line, form, and color, the body is a material to work with.”¹ The wearer’s skin became a backdrop for floating, abstract metal. While Smith had a diverse clientele, this approach was particularly powerful when his work was worn by African American models and dancers. During the era of the civil rights movement, he used jewelry to communicate the idea that Black is beautiful.
¹ Barry Harwood, From the Village to Vogue: The Modernist Jewelry of Art Smith (Brooklyn: Brooklyn Museum, 2008), 5.
Spirals necklace in sterling silver. Designed and made by Art Smith, USA, 1946-82.
SM8031
Modern Cuff bracelet in brass and copper. Designed and made by Art Smith, USA, 1946-82.
2.64" L x 2.64" W x 4.02" H
6.7cm L x 6.7cm W x 10.2cm H
SM8049
Half and Half necklace in brass. Designed by Art Smith, USA, 1946-82.
7.09" L x 7.87" W x 1.57" H
18cm L x 20cm W x 4cm H
SM8050