(NWPR-IN) – Tony Smith aka Anthony Peter Smith was born in South Orange, New Jersey on September 23, 1912 and passed on December 26, 1980. As an American sculptor, visual artist, and a noted theorist on art, he was primarily known for his influential Minimalist sculpture. On view through December 12 at the Fort Wayne Museum of Art, “Not Tony Smith” is a multifaceted, innovative public art project that is comprised of scale near-replicas of three sculptures by the artist.
Minimalism describes movements not only in various forms of art and design, but also especially in visual art and music. Having ties to Modernism in a reduced form, it is often compared to be an indifference towards Abstract expressionism as well as an integration of Postmodern art applications. The works are stripped down to its most basic features and is earmarked with American developments in post-World War II Western Art, in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Noted artists in this period include, Donald Judd, John McLaughlin, Agnes Martin, Dan Flavin, Robert Morris, Anne Truitt, and Frank Stella.
This installation at the Fort Wayne Museum of Art is the sole instance the work appears in the configurations that Smith intended. Each original sculpture was built in three segments and can be broken into nine components, which are displayed in a different configuration in each location as it also travels throughout this Indiana community.
Opening Friday, November 19, “Common Thread: Quilts from the Collection” goes on view for the first time in nearly ten years. The exhibit features Indiana-made Amish quilts made between 1870s and 1940s, were originally collected by David Pottinger, who acquired them either from the maker or a descendent.
‘Common Thread’ closes on January 30, 2011, but for more information on these exhibits, including other programming, see www.fwmoa.org or call 260.422.6467, or email Charles A. Shepard III directly at Shepard@fwmoa.org.