Description
Volton XVIII is one of five Voltons in the Empire State Plaza Art Collection, and is among the finest of the ninety-two works in the Collection. In this sculpture, Smith integrates real toolspliers, wrenches, and washers. The tools have an evocative significance as emblems of the industrial world, but their presence in sculpture incited critics who were slow to accept welded steel as a fine-art medium. Volton XVIII is from a body of work Smith sculpted while participating in an arts festival in Spoleto, Italy. He set up his Italian studio in an abandoned factory in Voltri, near Genoa, with all its contents of metal-working tools and scrap metal. Upon his return to the United States, Smith placed his works in the open, grassy fields surrounding his home and studio in Bolton Landing, New York. Now, with hardly a single Smith sculpture available in the art market, it is remarkable that the Empire State Plaza Art Collection contains five of this artist's oeuvre. Reproduction of this image, including downloading, is prohibited without written authorization from VAGA, 350 Fifth Avenue, Suite 2820, New York, NY 10118. Tel: 212.736.6666; Fax: 212.736.6767; e-mail: info@vagarights.com web: www.vagarights.com
Details
- Work Date:
- 1963
- Location:
- Corning Tower Plaza Lobby
- Dimensions:
- 9'-1 1/2" x 5'-6 1/4" x 1'-3"
- Medium:
- Painted steel