Tony Smith
1912-1980
(Photo by Hans Namuth)
Underrated? Maybe, he's definitely not overrated.
Overlooked? I think so.
I love me some Anthony Peter Smith either way.
I may even own one,
(more on that in another post)
and I'm pretty damn sure I sold one
not knowing what it was.
I wish the guy that bought it had just paid and walked out
the door
rather than announcing he was a Tony Smith scholar
and gloating that he believed the painted piece of
cardboard I had just sold him
for nothing was a maquette.
Ignorance is bliss,
but it was that little bit of bad news that
made me go out and buy this
book so many years ago.
If I were you, I'd go buy one too....
Tony Smith with "Bennington Structure"
1961
Tony Smith
"Stamos House" under construction
1951
Tony Smith
"Scoppettone House"
(axonometric and plan)
1952
Tony Smith
"Olsen House"
(site plan)
c. 1951
Tony Smith
"Bees Do It"
Wood Model
1970
Tony Smith
"Memphis"
Painted Wood Model
1962-63
Tony Smith
"Generation"
Cast Bronze
1965
Tony Smith, Jane Smith and Tennessee Williams.
(Tennessee was Tony's Best man at his wedding to Jane.)
Tony Smith
c. 1946-47
I want to know what is going on here.
Are those paintings in the background?
Is that a cash register, a sculpture or both?
Tony Smith with Barnett Newman
and Action Jackson Pollock.
1951
(Photo by Hans Namuth)
Tony Smith with "Bat Cave" model.
1969
Tony Smith
Plywood mock-ups of "Amarylis", "Spitball"
and "Cigarette"
1966
Great names!
Tony Smith looking pissed or determined,
you choose.
1970
(Photo by Hans Namuth)
Tony Smith with "Cigarette" installed in the garden of
the Museum of Modern Art.
New York
1979
(Photo by Hans Namuth)
