Three artists, one family. Tony Smith (1912–1980), the 100th anniversary of whose birth was in 2012, is regarded as one of the most important sculptors of the 1960s.

Having initially worked as an architect, at the age of fifty he turned to the medium of sculpture. In 1962 he made Die, the first autonomous cube in the history of sculpture. Until his death in 1980, he produced an extensive sculptural oeuvre. Tony Smith also did numerous paintings in the non-figurative tradition. This retrospective exhibition presents not only Smith's sculptural work but also, for the first time in Europe, his paintings and his architecture, in the form of models and drawings.

Tony Smith's daughters Kiki Smith (born 1954) and Seton Smith (born 1955) are also artists whose works exhibit subtle links with those of their father.

"Our home was his studio, where we were taught about the 'integrity of scale' from his maquettes, drawings, and sculptures."

 Kiki Smith's early works date from the 1980s, emerging from the feminist environment of the New York art scene. She is known today for an oeuvre (sculptures, glass paintings, tapestries, among other things) in which she gives figurative expression to fabulous interwoven complex worlds. She explores the impact of traditional symbols, images and signs by entwining cultural-historical (re)- interpretations of motifs and materials with new meanings.

Seton Smith chose the medium of photography and began to photograph architecture at an early age. Her artistic intention is to dissolve the links between architectonic form and concrete function. She is interested in examining architectural structures that influence and shape our thinking.

The exhibition is a production of Kunsthalle Bielefeld, curated by Friedrich Meschede. The show, containing more than 120 exhibits, has been installed at the Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein in close collaboration with the Tony Smith Estate and the two artists.

More pictures to this exhibition

  • Kiki Smith. Seton Smith. Tony Smith
    Exhibition view Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein, Photo: Ines Agostinelli © Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein
  • Kiki Smith. Seton Smith. Tony Smith
    Exhibition view Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein, Photo: Ines Agostinelli © Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein
  • Kiki Smith. Seton Smith. Tony Smith
    Exhibition view Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein, Photo: Ines Agostinelli © Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein
  • Kiki Smith. Seton Smith. Tony Smith
    Exhibition view Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein, Photo: Ines Agostinelli © Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein
  • Opening
  • Thu, 7.2.2013
    18.00
  • Guided tours
  • Wed, 21.3.2012
    18.00
  • Thu, 25.4.2013
    18.00
  • Wed 21.3.

    Guided tour

    Kiki Smith. Seton Smith. Tony Smith
    with Denise Rigaud
  • Thu 7.2.

    Opening

    Kiki Smith. Seton Smith. Tony Smith
    Vernissage
  • Wed 20.2.

    Introduction for Teachers

    Kiki Smith. Seton Smith. Tony Smith: Einführung für Lehrpersonen aller Schulstufen
    with Christina Jacoby
  • Thu 21.2.

    Lecture

    Die Geburt der Minimal Art aus dem Geist der Architektur
    by Philip Ursprung, in German
  • Thu 21.2.

    Movie

    Frank Lloyd Wright
    a movie by Ken Burns & Lynn Novick, USA, 1998, 146'
  • Tue 26.2.

    Introduction for Teachers

    Kiki Smith. Seton Smith. Tony Smith: Einführung für Lehrpersonen aller Schulstufen
    with Christina Jacoby
  • Thu 28.2.

    Take Away

    Kiki Smith. Seton Smith. Tony Smith
    Short guided tour during the lunch break
  • Sun 3.3.

    One Hour

    Kiki Smith. About fabulous creatures and saints
    with Christiane Meyer-Stoll
  • Wed 6.3.

    Introduction for Teachers

    Kiki Smith. Seton Smith. Tony Smith: Introduction for teachers of all levels
    with Christina Jacoby
  • Sun 10.3.

    Families

    Family Afternoon
    A sunday excursion into the world of art
  • Thu 21.3.

    "Art 60 plus special"

    Three artists, one family
    with Barbara Redmann
  • Sun 7.4.

    One Hour

    Three artists, one family. From abstraction to figuration
    with Christiane Meyer-Stoll
  • Thu 18.4.

    Lecture

    Smog, Smug, St. John's Rotary und die Autofahrt-Anekdote: Gedanken zu Werken von Tony Smith
    by Raimund Kummer, in German
  • Sun 21.4.

    Families

    Family Afternoon
    A sunday excursion into the world of art
  • Thu 25.4.

    Take Away

    Kiki Smith. Seton Smith. Tony Smith
    Short guided tour during the lunch break
  • Thu 25.4.

    Guided tour

    Kiki Smith. Seton Smith. Tony Smith
    Guided tour with Christiane Meyer-Stoll