David Smith (1906–1965) was an American abstract expressionist sculptor and painter best known for his large welded steel sculptures, which remain highly collectible in the 21st century. Trained as a painter at the Art Students League in New York, he
turned to sculpture in the early 1930s, creating welded constructions that incorporated industrial materials. In the 1940s and 1950s, his work shifted toward more personal, landscape‑inspired forms with a distinctive linear quality that echoed his drawings
and paintings. Smith maintained close ties with abstract expressionist painters such as Jackson Pollock and Robert Motherwell, reflecting the cross‑disciplinary exchange that shaped mid‑century American art, particularly in welded metal sculpture.
David Smith, "Primo Piano I," Steel, 1962, Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, Grand Rapids, Michigan
David Smith, "Primo Piano II," Steel, 1962, Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, Grand Rapids, Michigan
David Smith, Cubi XII, Steel, paint, 1963, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, D.C.
David Smith, Circles Intercepted, Steel, paint, 1961, Hauser & Wirth
David Smith, Rebecca Circle, Steel, paint, 1961, Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, Grand Rapids, Michigan
David Smith, Ninety Son, Steel, paint, 1961, Hauser & Wirth, New York
David Smith, Australia, 1951, Painted steel, on a cinder-block base, MoMA, New York
David Smith, Head, 1938, Cast iron and steel, MoMA, New York
David Smith, Sentinel I, 1956, Steel, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
David Smith, Anchorhead, 1952, Painted steel, Gagosian, New York
David Smith, Personage of August, 1956, Painted steel, Gagosian, New York
David Smith, Circle I, 1962, Painted steel, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
David Smith, Circle II, 1962, Painted steel, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
David Smith, Circle III, 1962, Painted steel, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
David Smith, Chain Head, 1933, Iron, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York
David Smith, Saw Head, 1933, constructed from found objects, iron, bronze, circular saw blade, Tate Gallery, UK
David Smith, Blackburn, Song of an Irish Blacksmith, 1950, Welded iron, found objects, scrap metal,
David Smith, "Zig I," 1961, Painted steel, Hauser & Wirth, New York
David Smith, Ancient Household, 1945, bronze, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, D.C.
David Smith, Blackburn, Song of an Irish Blacksmith, 1950, Welded iron, found objects, scrap metal,
David Smith, Cubi XXI, 1964, Stainless steel, 9 ft. 11 in. x 33 3/4 in. x 34 in. (302.3 x 85.7 x 86.4 cm), Storm King Art Center, Mountainville, New York
David Smith, Gondola, 1961, Painted steel, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden | Smithsonian, Washington, D.C.
David Smith, Cubi XIX, 1964, Stainless steel, Tate Gallery, UK
David Smith, Circle IV, 1962, Painted steel, The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo
David Smith, Tanktotem VIII, 1960, Painted steel, an assemblage of welded industrial scrap metal, including boiler tank tops, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York
David Smith, The Hero, 1952, Painted steel, Brooklyn Museum, New York
David Smith, Ninety Father, 1961, Painted steel, the smaller sculpture in the background, Circle I, 1962, Painted steel, Hauser & Wirth in Zurich, Switzerland
David Smith, Cubi I, 1963, Stainless steel, Detroit Institute of the Arts, Michigan
David Smith, Personage from Stove City, 1946, Painted steel, MoMA, New YorK
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