ArtSmith 1940s Geometric Gaps Silver Copper Brass Modern Sculptural Wire Cuff

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ArtSmith 1940s Geometric Gaps Silver Copper Brass Modern Sculptural Wire Cuff

About the Item

American Art Smith hand-crafted this modern asymmetrical cuff from roughly finished semi-precious layered metals in his early signature style including sculptural wires and gaps. On the top of the bracelet that displays Smith's dynamic artistry, thick brass square-shaped wires unevenly separate into curves to create voids for revealing skin when worn on the wrist. To both minimally decorate the cuff with geometric shapes and solidify its structure, Smith spanned only one side of the gap with four angular-cut pieces from sheets of sterling silver, copper and brass, which are evenly spaced with narrow gaps. As the rod-like framework of the rest of the cuff, the brass wire was folded/joined at the ends with minute silver soldering only visible on the interior. A testament to Smith's craftsmanship, the contrasting cut metals are soldered precisely to the top outer edges of each sinuous wire instead of wrapped around, which enables the bottom edges of the wires to make smooth contact with the skin and to be easier to flex for pulling on and off. Additionally, Smith finished, lacquered, buffed and polished the exterior bracelet to protect the patinated metallic colors from tarnishing. On the unfinished interior, this cuff may have been signed by Art Smith with a stylized initial A and/or his name in cursive given some apparently linked dark marks in two different areas of the brass wire (see closeups), which may otherwise indicate good condition consistent with age and scratching from wear. In light of similarly constructed curvilinear designs by Smith in the 1940s, the cuff seems to have been created while he was making the transition while living in Manhattan's Greenwich Village from being mentored full-time by fellow Black jewelry designer Winifred Mason to metalsmithing as an independent artist and businessman. In 1946, he opened his own retail studio competitively nearby hers. Some of Smith's commissions in the 1940s did not include his signature, such as those made with more costly sterling silver (like this cuff) that was not a metal used by Mason who focused on copper and/or brass jewelry. Such early studio-jewelry works by Smith, whose designs were influenced by Surrealism and Primitivism since his studies at NYC's Cooper Union, are sometimes mistaken for African-art inspired originals by fellow American Alexander Calder. Jewelry by both artists are increasingly collected by leading museums, such as Smith's similar "Lava Bracelet" c.1946 at The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Brooklyn Museum, while continuing to set auction records annually. Notably regarding early works by Smith, in May 2021, his undulating brass 13-inch collar necklace c.1950 realized $23,400 from the low estimate of $3,000. Solidifying the value of this dramatic increase, a year later, his wire-constructed "modern brass and copper cuff bracelet" c.1950 sold for $22,500 from the high estimate of $8,000 in June 2022. As many contributions to jewelry and art history by Black and/or queer artists, such as Cuban-born Smith (1917-1982), have yet to be recognized, we encourage the buyer of this cuff to seek authentication from his American estate experts.

Creator:
Art Smith
Metal:
Silver,Brass,Copper
Dimensions:
Height: 2 in (50.8 mm)Width: 2.5 in (63.5 mm)Depth: 0.13 in (3.31 mm)Diameter: 2.25 in (57.15 mm)Length: 6 in (152.4 mm)
Style:
Modern
Place of Origin:
United States
Period:
1940-1949
Date of Manufacture:
1940s
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use.
Seller Location:
Chicago, IL
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU3244218285442

Shop All Art Smith

Art Smith

Fusing eclectic influences such as Surrealism and African art, Art Smith was a leading mid-century modernist jeweler and one of the few African American designers to break into the field. His oversize geometric pieces with their innovative use of wire, silver forms, brass, aluminum, stone and glass elements were boldly sculptural yet lightweight, becoming popular in the 1940s and ’50s as expressive statements of adornment.

Born in Cuba to Jamaican parents, Smith moved as a child to Brooklyn, New York, in 1920. After showing an early aptitude for art, he earned a scholarship to study at the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in Manhattan. He was especially inspired by the pioneering African American jeweler Winifred Mason, who hired Smith to work at her studio. There he witnessed how she engaged with West Indian folk art through bronze and copper.

After graduating, Smith opened his first shop in 1946 on Cornelia Street in Greenwich Village. Facing discrimination in the predominantly Italian area, he relocated to West Fourth Street where he would work until 1979. Smith developed relationships with stores like Bloomingdale’s as well as New York City’s vibrant Black cultural scene, from which his clients included Lena Horne and Duke Ellington. He also designed work for avant-garde Black dance companies such as those led by choreographers Talley Beatty and Pearl Primus and a brooch for Eleanor Roosevelt.

“The body is a component in design just as air and space are,” Smith once stated. Employing biomorphic shapes, he created works such as the Patina necklace that referenced Alexander Calder’s mobiles with its dangling silver cutouts as well as the Lava bracelet involving two layers of metal that undulate around the wrist.

Smith often used unconventional materials for fine jewelry that made it affordable to people beyond the elite, and he was a vocal advocate for Black and gay civil rights. In 2008, the Brooklyn Museum opened a retrospective of his work. His jewelry is included in the collections of major museums such as the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

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