Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 13
David SmithUntitled1930
1930
About the Item
"Untitled" is a painting by American artist David Smith.
David Smith’s paintings from the 1930s rarely come to market, and when Untitled (Billiard Players) surfaced at a Christie’s auction in 2018, it created quite a stir, realizing an impressive price of $1.15 million. Painted around the same time, Untitled shares many similarities with Untitled (Billiard Players). Both paintings affirm Smith’s place among the American artists when ideas and style began to intermingle and coalesce around Picasso’s innovations.
Uniquely positioned in temperament and ability, Smith was a man of considerable ambition whose direct-metal configurations would have much to do with achieving new ideas about abstraction. Yet all along, he insisted he was a painter, not a sculptor who painted.
Paintings by Smith support Henry Moore’s assertion that ‘all the best sculpture I know is both abstract and representational at the same time.’ Surrealism held great sway with both artists, but Untitled has little in common with the phantom dreamscapes or spectral apparitions more associated with Moore’s sensibilities. Instead, Smith’s work recalls Picasso’s whimsical depictions of halcyon days he spent frolicking at the beach with his wife Olga and son Paulo in the summer of 1928. Full of wit and humor, Untitled suggests some of that same lightheartedness. David Smith and his wife, artist Dorothy Dehner, took their first trip to Europe in 1936, and if there is a story worth retelling here, perhaps it is similarly anecdotal. Charming as it is, Untitled encourages musings of an encounter while biking in France with, presumably, a female figure whose hand rests upon David’s shoulder as well as the image of a child or dog held by our protagonist — take your pick.
Provenance:
Estate of David Smith
Hauser & Wirth
Private Collection
Exhibition:
Hauser & Wirth New York, “David Smith: Origins & Innovations”, New York NY, November 13 – December 23, 2017
- Creator:David Smith (1906-1965, American)
- Creation Year:1930
- Dimensions:Height: 12 in (30.48 cm)Width: 15.75 in (40.01 cm)
- Medium:
- Movement & Style:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:Palm Desert, CA
- Reference Number:
About the Seller
4.8
Recognized Seller
These prestigious sellers are industry leaders and represent the highest echelon for item quality and design.
Established in 1996
1stDibs seller since 2011
100 sales on 1stDibs
Typical response time: 5 hours
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Jackson, WY
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 7 days of delivery.
More From This SellerView All
- UntitledBy David SmithLocated in Palm Desert, CA"Untitled" is a painting by artist David Smith. The work is signed and dated in the upper left "David Smith (symbol) 1936". When David Smith set up a workshop on the Brooklyn Navy P...Category
1930s Abstract Abstract Paintings
MaterialsCanvas, Oil
- L'epreuveBy Roberto MattaLocated in Palm Desert, CAA painting by Roberto Matta. "L'epreuve" is a surrealist painting, oil on canvas in palette of grays, greens, and yellows by Latin American artist Roberto Matta. It is signed in the ...Category
Mid-20th Century Surrealist Abstract Paintings
MaterialsOil, Canvas
- MaskBy Nathan OliveiraLocated in Palm Desert, CAA painting by Nathan Oliveira. "Mask" is a Post-War painting, acrylic, earth, and oil on canvas by Bay Area Figurative artist Nathan Oliveira. The artwork is signed and dated in the ...Category
Late 20th Century Post-War Abstract Paintings
MaterialsCanvas, Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic
- Flooded Small RoomBy Ryoko KatoLocated in Palm Desert, CAA painting by Ryoko Kato. "Flooded Small Room" is an acrylic on canvas executed in a bright palette primarily of blues, whites and pinks and depicts a young girl, dressed in a white ...Category
Early 2000s Contemporary Abstract Paintings
MaterialsCanvas, Acrylic
- Last Civil War VeteranBy Larry RiversLocated in Palm Desert, CA"Last Civil War Veteran" is an oil painting on panel made by Larry Rivers in 1961. The artwork size is 9 1/2 x 7 inches. The framed size is 12 3/4 x 10 1/4 x 1 1/2 inches. The work i...Category
Mid-20th Century Pop Art Abstract Paintings
MaterialsOil, Panel
- CoupleBy Constance MallinsonLocated in Palm Desert, CAA oil on paper painting by contemporary artist Constance Mallinson. "Couple" depicts a man in a woman standing side by side, their bodies comprised of organic materials, bark, leaves...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Abstract Paintings
MaterialsOil, Paper
You May Also Like
- Moving 5By Frank ArnoldLocated in Fresno, CA“Moving 5” is 60”x 48”. The vibrant yellow surface tones of this piece are broken in several places allowing random glimpses of Arnold’s dreamlike underpainting for a multi-dimension...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Abstract Paintings
MaterialsCanvas, Oil
- Studio 1528By Frank ArnoldLocated in Fresno, CA"Studio 1528" Oil on Canvas presents a bold visage in blues and white on a mixed field dominated by blues and green tone. Frank Arnold is thought by many to be one of the foremost ab...Category
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
MaterialsCanvas, Oil
- Half Way 8By Frank ArnoldLocated in Fresno, CA"Half Way 8", an Oil on Canvas painting of Sienna and very pale aqua-blue. Frank Arnold is thought by many to be one of the foremost abstract figurative painters and sculptors of our...Category
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
MaterialsCanvas, Oil
- Freed 58By Frank ArnoldLocated in Fresno, CA"Freed 58" Oil on Canvas is full range of blues from near white to Blu Black surrounding central figure. Frank Arnold is thought by many to be one of the foremost abstract figurative...Category
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
MaterialsCanvas, Oil
- Z58By Frank ArnoldLocated in Fresno, CA"Z58" Oil on Canvas with heavy impasto range of Blue pigments. Frank Arnold is thought by many to be one of the foremost abstract figurative painters and sculptors of our time. He is...Category
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
MaterialsCanvas, Oil
- Oil on Canvas “A58”By Frank ArnoldLocated in Fresno, CA"A58" is 72” x 66”. The electric blues on black stand out from the figure on a mixed background of medium earth tones and heavy textures. Frank Arnold’s paintings exhibit the highest...Category
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
MaterialsCanvas, Oil