David Smith: The Art and Life of a Transformational Sculptor

by Michael Brenson

“An essential account of America’s greatest sculptor . . . [A] magnum opus.” ―Marjorie Perloff, The Times Literary Supplement

The landmark biography of the inscrutable and brilliant David Smith, the greatest American sculptor of the twentieth century.

David Smith, a pioneer of Abstract Expressionism, did more than any other sculptor of his era to bring the plastic arts to the forefront of the American scene. Central to his project of reimagining sculptural experience was challenging the stability of any identity or position―Smith sought out the unbounded, unbalanced, and unexpected, creating works of art that seem to undergo radical shifts as the spectator moves from one point of view to another. So groundbreaking and prolific were his contributions to American art that by the time Smith was just forty years old, Clement Greenberg was already calling him “the greatest sculptor this country has produced.”

Michael Brenson’s David The Art and Life of a Transformational Sculptor is the first biography of this epochal figure. It follows Smith from his upbringing in the Midwest, to his heady early years in Manhattan, to his decision to establish a permanent studio in Bolton Landing in upstate New York, where he would create many of his most significant works―among them the Cubis , Tanktotems , and Zigs . It explores his at times tempestuous personal life, marked by marriages, divorces, and fallings-out as well as by deep friendships with fellow artists like Helen Frankenthaler and Robert Motherwell. His wife Jean Freas described him as “salty and bombastic, jumbo and featherlight, thin-skinned and Mack Truck. And many more things.” This enormous, contradictory vitality was true of his work as well. He was a bricoleur, a master welder, a painter, a photographer, and a writer, and he entranced critics and attracted admirers wherever he showed his work. With this book, Brenson has contextualized Smith for a new generation and confirmed his singular place in the history of American art.

Genres: Nonfiction, Art, Biography

864 pages, Hardcover

Published October 4, 2022

Reviews

[AnnieM · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is clearly a labor of love and in fact Michael Brenson says it was a 20 year journey in his quest to bring abstract expressionism back into our consciousness. This book is meticulously researched and he had access to many of David Smith's friends, family and fellow artists in order to create a well-rounded portrait of the man and artist. In some ways, I think of David Smith as a renaissance man - incredibly gifted artistically in multiple mediums as well as a very complex person with difficult relationships. This may be a labor of love, but Brenson does not shy away from showing his strengths and flaws. We hear about his rivalries/friendships with other famous artists and his multiple marriages. There are many photographs of his work through out the book, but to really experience Smith's work it is important to see it in person. Bolton Landing where he lived and worked intermittently, is unfortunately not as intact as when he died -- one of his executors of his estate - art critic, Clement Greenberg, was accused of defacing some of Smith's sculptures (peeling off paint) and selling off this work and studio in parts leaving little for us to be able to experience the extraordinary setting of his sculptures in the fields that so inspired him. But for now, we have this definitive biography of David Smith.

I highly recommend this book.

[James B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley and FSG for the ebook. This is the first major biography about one of America’s greatest sculptors. With a rich selection of photographs, this book begins with his early Midwest upbringing, his artistic beginnings in New York and then his move upstate where most of his major works were created. Smith is a brilliant practitioner and great advocate of the exciting American art scene as it finally leads an art movement, instead of imitating European artists. As equally fascinating is the marriages that Smith has and also the artists that were his great friends and, at times, great rivals. This is a magical time in American creativity brought to wonderful life.

[Karen Gunderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Michael Brenson revealed David Smith. He was the greatest ever American sculptor. Brenson shared Smith's human side as well as his great gift and strength. Michael Brenso also helped us see the development...not only of Smith but the development of the art era in which he lived and worked. It is the best art related book I have ever read.