Art Smith Copper Kinetic Mobile New York Modernist Earrings
View Similar Items
Art Smith Copper Kinetic Mobile New York Modernist Earrings
About the Item
- Creator:
- Metal:
- Dimensions:Width: 1.5 in (38.1 mm)Length: 2.63 in (66.81 mm)
- Style:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950's
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Very good vintage condition.
- Seller Location:Palm Springs, CA
- Reference Number:Seller: 000E3333L001stDibs: LU2803722283
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.
Find a collection of Art Smith jewelry on 1stDibs.
- Heidi Abrahamson Pearl Brass Kinetic Mobile EarringsBy Heidi AbrahamsonLocated in Palm Springs, CAPearl and brass kinetic mobile earrings created by Heidi Abrahamson of Phoenix, Arizona. Earrings have 14k gold filled ear hooks and measure 4" in length by 1.25" wide. Unsigned.Category
2010s Drop Earrings
MaterialsPearl, Brass
- Ed Wiener Gold Pearl Kinetic American Modernist Chandelier EarringsBy Ed WienerLocated in Palm Springs, CA14k gold and pearl chandelier style earrings created by Ed Wiener of New York City, New York. Earrings measure 4.5" in length and are of the pierced variety. Earrings are unsigned ...Category
Vintage 1950s American Modernist Chandelier Earrings
MaterialsPearl, 14k Gold, Gold
$4,595 Sale Price20% OffFree Shipping - Heidi Abrahamson Sterling Silver Brass Kinetic EarringsBy Heidi AbrahamsonLocated in Palm Springs, CABrushed sterling silver and brass jointed pierced earrings created by Heidi Abrahamson of Phoenix, Arizona. Earrings measure 4.25" by 2.25" and are si...Category
2010s American Modernist Chandelier Earrings
MaterialsSterling Silver, Brass
- Ed Wiener Gold American Abstract Modernist EarringsBy Ed WienerLocated in Palm Springs, CA18k gold abstract modernist earrings designed and created by Ed Wiener of New York City, New York. Earrings are of the screwback variety a...Category
Vintage 1950s American Modernist Drop Earrings
Materials18k Gold, Gold
- Jules Brenner Sterling Silver New York Modern Kinetic Dancer Pierced EarringsBy Jules BrennerLocated in Palm Springs, CAKinteic dancer sterling silver earrings created by American modernist jeweler Jules Brenner, circa 1950's. Earrings are of the pierce variety and measure 1.75" long by .75" wide. Si...Category
Vintage 1950s American Modernist Dangle Earrings
MaterialsSterling Silver
$395 Sale Price20% OffFree Shipping - Heidi Abrahamson Blue Agate Glass and Acrylic Post Modernist EarringsBy Heidi AbrahamsonLocated in Palm Springs, CAArchitectural Post Modernist earrings created by Heidi Abrahamson of Phoenix, Arizona. Earrings measure 6" in length and are hand made with architectural grade acrylic discs, recons...Category
2010s American Artisan Chandelier Earrings
MaterialsAgate, Brass, Sterling Silver
$875 Sale Price22% OffFree Shipping
- Lucea New York Diamond Chandelier EarringsBy Lucea New YorkLocated in New York, NYRustic Collection Two tone textured chandelier earrings with polki Diamonds set in sterling silver and 14K gold plating. Diamonds: 3.35ct total w...Category
2010s Indian Contemporary Chandelier Earrings
MaterialsDiamond, Gold Plate, Silver, Sterling Silver
- Ruchi New York Gradient Emerald and Diamond Drop Chandelier EarringsBy Ruchi New YorkLocated in New York, NYGreen Lagoon Collection Gradient Emerald and Diamond drop chandelier earrings set in 18K black rhodium gold. The Emeralds are set in a gradient style from lighter to darker from top...Category
2010s Hong Kong Contemporary Chandelier Earrings
MaterialsDiamond, White Diamond, Emerald, 18k Gold
- Vintage Sterling Silver Modernist Mobile Chandelier EarringsLocated in Stamford, CTReminiscent of Calder or the wonderful jewelry of Art Smith, these artist made sterling silver earrings by Mary Ann Scherr are six cascading triangles ...Category
Mid-20th Century American Modernist Chandelier Earrings
MaterialsSterling Silver
- Lucea New York Pearl and Diamond Chandelier EarringBy Lucea New YorkLocated in New York, NYMoon Light Collection South sea natural Pearl with icy Diamond chandelier earring set in Sterling Silver and 18K White Gold. Pearl: 61.85ct total weight. Diamond: 1.10ct total weig...Category
2010s Indian Contemporary Chandelier Earrings
MaterialsDiamond, Pearl, Gold Plate, Yellow Gold, Silver, Sterling Silver
- Lucea New York Citrine and Diamond Chandelier EarringsBy Lucea New YorkLocated in New York, NYLife in color collection Inspired by Victorian style this silver earrings made of diamonds and three Citrine drops moving freely. Set in sterling silver and yellow gold. Citrine : ...Category
2010s Indian Contemporary Chandelier Earrings
MaterialsCitrine, Diamond, Silver, Sterling Silver
- Lucea New York Citrine and Diamond Chandelier EarringsBy Lucea New YorkLocated in New York, NYLife in color collection Alluring mini Chandelier earrings each with three Citrine gemstones drop moving freely. Set in sterling silver and yellow gold. Citrine : 6x9 mm, 6x10 mm a...Category
2010s Indian Contemporary Chandelier Earrings
MaterialsCitrine, Diamond, Yellow Gold, Silver, Sterling Silver