Sentinel I

1956

David Smith

Associated Names
David Smith

Artist, American, 1906 - 1965

The sculpture is tall and abstract, composed of straight and curved lines and geometric shapes that all branch out of a central vertical line. At the top, the sculpture has multiple rectangular forms extending outward in different directions, similar to flags or signposts. Towards the center, thin hooked lines branch outward horizontally, and a wide vertical curved shape runs parallel to the central line. At the base, the central line splits into two lines, one which is straight and one which zig-zags at the bottom, ending in a circular shape. At the bottom, the lines are also supported by a rectangular outline. The sculpture is made from a dark material, and stands on a thin rectangular base.
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On View

East Building Upper Level, Gallery 407-B

Artwork overview

  • Medium

    steel

  • Credit Line

    Gift of the Collectors Committee

  • Dimensions

    overall: 227.6 x 42.9 x 57.5 cm (89 5/8 x 16 7/8 x 22 5/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1979.51.1

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Estate of the artist; (M. Knoedler & Co., New York); purchased 5 February 1979 by NGA.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1982

  • David Smith: Seven Major Themes, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1982-1983, p. 89, repro.

1986

  • David Smith: Skulpturen - Zeichnungen, Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Düsseldorf; Städelsches Kunstinstitut, Frankfurt am Main, Federal Republic of Germany; Whitechapel Art Gallery, London, England, 1986-1987.

1993

  • Picasso and the Age of Iron, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; Museum of Modern Art of Fort Worth, Texas, 1993, no. 120, repro.

1996

  • David Smith, 1906-1965, IVAM, Centre Julio González, Valencia; Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, Madrid, 1996, unnumbered cat., repro.

2006

  • David Smith: A Centennial, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; Musée national d'art moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris; Tate Modern, London, 2006-2007, no. 80 (English cat.), repro. (shown only in New York and London).

Bibliography

1989

  • Strick, Jeremy. Twentieth Century Painting and Sculpture: Selections for the Tenth Anniversary of the East Building. Washington, D.C., 1989: 82, repro. 83.

1994

  • Sculpture: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1994: 220, repro.

1995

  • Marshall, Albert. "A Study of the Surfaces of David Smith's Sculpture" in Studies in the History of Art 51 (1995): 93-96, 101, 103-104, repro. no. 5.

Inscriptions

on plate on back of top bar, the artist's name in script and the Roman numeral "I" repeated twice: David Smith / SENTINEL I / 10-20-56 I

Wikidata ID

Q63854593

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