As a lover of all things modernist, especially jewelry, I can't believe it's taken me this long to discover the work of Art Smith. One of the things that I've always loved about modernist or mid-century modern jewelry is that these pieces were meant to be accessible to middle class consumers. It is the unique forms that make these pieces desirable rather than the preciousness of the materials that they're made from. Similarly to modernist furniture, they were typically crafted from humble materials allowing them to be sold at vastly lower prices than jewelry made from precious metals and gems. And just like mid-century modern furniture that was originally designed to be reasonably priced but is now exorbitantly expensive, Art Smith's jewelry is collected by museums every where and sells for tens of thousands of dollars today...
His work was part of the burgeoning studio jewelry movement and art scene that exploded in Greenwich Village in New York City in the fifties and sixties. There were many different jewelry studios in the neighborhood at this time, as the craft movement began to take hold in America and Greenwich Village became the epicenter of the beat generation, the gay movement,and the counterculture movement. As a gay black man and designer, Art Smith was involved in all of these movements. The low rents meant that the area was filled with artist's studios and cafes that served as incubators for artists and performers to meet, hang out and influence one another. This was also the beginning of the modern dance movement and the neighborhood was full of pioneering dance companies and studios. Art Smith's work was influenced by all of these cultural movements and the many artists that frequented the neighborhood became his clients.
Art Smith was born in Cuba in 1917 to Jamaican parents. His family immigrated to Manhattan in 1920 and later moved to Brooklyn. He received a scholarship to the prestigious Cooper Union School For the Advancement of Science and Art where he was encouraged to pursue architectural studies. He chose to study sculpture and commercial art instead, because he felt the math requirements were too difficult.
He graduated from the Cooper Union in 1940, not exactly the best time for job opportunities but he found a job with the WPA, teaching art classes to school children and took night classes in jewelry design at New York University. (He was not drafted into WWII due to a heart condition.) He eventually found work as an intern in the studio of black jewelry designer Winifred Mason, who became his mentor. Eventually he opened his own store in Greenwich village in 1946 on Cornelia Street. Repeated acts of racist vandalism and violence forced him to move his store location to West Fourth Street and it was here that his business really took off.
His work was inspired by the flow of Jazz music, African sculpture and jewelry, but also by modern dance. Black choreographer Tally Beatty was a client who not only wore Art Smith's jewelry but as a fellow gay man he was a close friend and a huge supporter. He introduced Art to other dancers and dance companies for whom Art did larger and more dramatic jewelry and who became influential clients. His long time partner Charles Russel wrote that many of Art's larger and more well known pieces were a direct result of his close association with the dance world. (1)
It's clear that the body was crucial to his designs; his jewelry is more like wearable sculpture for the body rather than simply adornment. According to Charles Russel, " ...he used the human form as an armature on which to develop a work of sculpture." (2) In 1969 he wrote in the introduction for his solo show at the Museum of Contemporary Craft, "The body is a component in design just as air and space are." (3)
Art Smith thrived in Greenwich village. His work was featured in Harper's Bazaar and Vogue, sold at Bloomingdale's as well as stores around the country and worn by celebrities like Lena Horne, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Harry Belafonte. (4) His jewelry was worn by both men and women who appreciated its drama. According to Charles Russel, the breast plate pictured above in the second image was worn by a prominent New York psychiatrist at his own private cocktail parties. In 1969 he was given a solo show at New York's Museum of Contemporary Craft, now the Museum of Art and Design.
In addition to the famed bohemian community, there was a large black, artistic community in Greenwich Village in the fifties and sixties that nurtured him both professionally and personally and one can sense all these influences in his designs. His jewelry was very much the product of the bohemian atmosphere of "The Village" at this time and I think this is also part of what makes his jewelry so special. It's an expression of that brief moment in time when Greenwich Village was truly a village. A village created by and for artists, where every sort of art form from dance to poetry was encouraged and supported. It was a place of tolerance, where people of different races, genders, and sexual orientation could be themselves and flourish.
Art Smith's Ellington necklace, image on the left, courtesy of the Brooklyn Museum of Art.
In 1969 Art Smith suffered a heart attack, likely the result of the same heart condition that kept him from being drafted in WWII. In 1977, he was experiencing congestive heart failure and his health began to decline dramatically. As a result of his health issues his jewelry production also declined. He created his last piece in 1979, called The Last Necklace. He died in 1982.
In 1973 Art Smith met Charles Russel, who was about 10 years younger. Charles was from New Hampshire and recently divorced. The two immediately hit it off and moved in together. Charles became his partner for the last eight years of his life. I like to think that perhaps Art Smith's output declined in the seventies not due to health problems but because he was busy enjoying life! In 1976 Art and Charles moved to a loft space on Prince Street in Soho in what is now the Mercer Hotel, where they enjoyed being part of the incredible artistic scene there at that time. They enjoyed entertaining and the Prince Street loft became an unofficial salon for a variety of artists, designers, and performers. In his memoire of the time they spent together called, "Art as Adornment" Charles writes fondly of all the entertaining they did and the memorable meals they prepared for their artistic community in this loft. They were also a part of the gay community on Fire Island, spending weekends in the Cherry Grove neighborhood. Charles cared for Art until his death in 1982 and then cared for Art's sister Ina until she died in 1995. Eventually he moved back to New Hampshire where he still resides. He donated the entire estate of Art Smith jewelry to The Brooklyn Museum of Art where it was exhibited in 2008 in the exhibit entitled "From the Village to Vogue".
Thirsty For More? Check out the Greenwich Village cocktail here Shoppables!
Notes 1.Russel, Charles. Art as Adornment, Outskirts Press 2016 pp.75 2.Ibid, pp. 134 3. Harwood, Barry. "From the Village to Vogue. The Modernist Jewelry of Art Smith" exhibition catalogue The Brooklyn Museum of Art 2008 p.3 4. Ibid p.4
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