Bodyworks

Explore the wearable modern art of Art Smith, one of the world’s most celebrated 20th-century jewelers

Mid-century modernist jeweler Art Smith (1917-1982) considered the human body to be as integral to his jewelry as the metals, wire, and semiprecious stones he used to make it, calling his necklaces “neck pieces” and his rings “hand decorations.” Bodyworks: The Jewelry of Art Smith presents 160 images, including previously unpublished design sketches and historic photographs alongside newly commissioned photography. Together, they offer a comprehensive visual record of Smith’s bold, fluid, and creative designs.

• “Lava” bracelet which evokes volcanic movement through its layers of long, curving, and patinated sheet metal
• “Lil’s Wire” pendant, inspired by the atom, representing Smith’s interest in mid-century scientific discoveries and the space age
• “Minetta” necklace with a carnelian stone, whose name alludes to the historical Little Africa neighborhood in New York City

Essays from Joanne Hyppolite, curator at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, and art historian Toni Greenbaum reflect on Smith’s life, influences, and legacy. In addition to more than 60 jewelry pieces by Art Smith, the Museum also holds two substantial archival collections containing his unpublished photographs, design sketches, oral histories, correspondence, business records, and more. This book brings these rich resources together to highlight the reverence Smith had for his work’s connection to the body.

Art Smith was influenced by jazz, dance, visual art, pan-African regalia, and relationships he formed with New York’s African American arts community. In his Greenwich village studio, he created custom pieces for many high-profile clients, including First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and jazz pianist Duke Ellington, and had work featured in Vogue. Art Smith was a luminary to his contemporaries and remains one to today’s artists. His pioneering career gets the magnificent retrospective it deserves with Bodyworks.