Why Art Smith remains a defining figure in modernist jewellery

A new book, 'Bodyworks: The Jewelry of Art Smith,' published by Smithsonian Books, celebrates a jeweller who made modernist jewellery design his own

Hannah Silver's avatar
By
Published In Features
modernist jewellery by art smith
Model Cynthia Youhouse (left) and actress Tamara Dobson (right) wearing Cluster Knuckles rings, photograph by Lida Moser, ca. 1969
(Image credit: Hatch-Billops Collection of Art Smith, Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of The James Hatch and Camille Billops Trust, © Courtesy of Estate of Lida Moser)

For Art Smith [1917 - 1982], jewellery was an extension of sculpture, a philosophy that took shape in the sensual way his modernist pieces were worn on the body. Smith, who moved to New York City from Cuba as a toddler, studied sculpture before opening his own jewellery shop in Greenwich Village in 1946.

There, Smith established a distinctive aesthetic, drawing on an eclectic array of references, from dance to jazz and pan-African regalia, to create fluid and unique pieces. Smith delighted in unusual combinations, pairing semi precious stones with metals and wire which encircled the neck, or curled around the fingers. For Smith, rings were ‘hand decorations’ and necklaces ‘neck pieces,’ and their role was to enhance and celebrate the body.

modernist jewellery by art smith

Art Smith inside his 140 West 4th Street jewelry store, photograph by Lida Moser, ca. 1948

(Image credit: Art Smith Archive, Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Charles L. Russell, © Courtesy of Estate of Lida Moser)

Smith’s considerable impact is the subject of a new book paying tribute to his life and career. Revered in his lifetime - Smith made work for a rollcall of high clients, including Eleanor Roosevelt and Duke Ellington - Smith’s legacy has since established him as a definitive voice in modernist jewellery design.

modernist jewellery by art smith

Model Carol Penn wearing Galaxy necklace, photograph by Coreen Simpson, 1987

(Image credit: Hatch-Billops Collection of Art Smith, Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of The James Hatch and Camille Billops Trust)

‘The story of jeweller Art Smith has long radiated through the intertwined histories of American modernism and African diasporic expression, yet only in recent years have some of the most expansive contours of his life and work come into view,’ says Michelle D. Commander in the preface to Bodyworks: The Jewelry of Art Smith. ‘Smith's jewelry-fluid, organic, and unyieldingly modern-remains among the most distinctive contributions to midcentury design. But beyond the brilliance of form and the beauty of the objects lies a deeper resonance: Smith's work points to the ways Black makers have shaped the artistic landscape of the United States, often without the recognition they deserved.’

smithsonianbooks.com

modernist jewellery by art smith

Art Smith wearing his Cluster Knuckles ring, unidentified photographer, 1968–79

(Image credit: Art Smith Archive, Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Charles L. Russell)
Hannah Silver
Hannah Silver

Hannah Silver is a writer, editor and author with over 20 years of experience in journalism, spanning national newspapers and independent magazines. Currently Art, Culture, Watches & Jewellery Editor of Wallpaper*, she has overseen offbeat art trends and conducted in-depth profiles for print and digital, as well as writing and commissioning extensively across the worlds of culture and luxury since joining in 2019.