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Summary:
Writings; printed material, including an exhibition catalog, Medals for Dishonor, for an exhibition of Smith's antiwar and violence medals and writings at the Willard Gallery, November, 1940, including a forward by authors William Blake and Christina Stead and a photograph of Smith; a typescript of Smith's essay, "Modern Sculpture and Society"; and a copy of Smith's essay, edited, as it appeared in Francis V. O'Connor's book, Art for the Millions; a 1942 press photograph of Smith at work on a marble sculpture; and a note written by Dorothy Dehner explaining the photograph.
Citation:
David Smith miscellaneous papers, [ca. 1940]-1964. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Additional Forms:
35mm microfilm reel 3472 available for use at Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan.
Biography Note:
Sculptor; Bolton Landing, N.Y. Smith's Medals for Dishonor, completed in 1940, were explicit statements of protest against the horrors of war and violence. Smith befriended the writers, Williams Blake and his wife Christina Stead, after having read and been influenced by Blake's novel, THE PAINTER AND THE LADY. Dorothy Dehner, painter and sculptor, was Smith's first wife. They were married in 1927 and divorced in 1952. ART FOR THE MILLIONS, edited by Francis V. O'Connor, was originally intended to be published by the Federal Art Project but went unfinished. O'Connor took up the project and completed it in 1972.
Language Note:
English .
Provenance:
Material on frames 54-89 provenance unknown. Material on frames 89-96 donated by Katharine Kuh, art critic, consultant, and friend of Dorothy Dehner.
Location Note:
Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 750 9th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20001
