A 'MODERNETTE' CUFF, CIRCA 1948

Encouraged to study architecture on a scholarship to the Cooper Union in 1942, Smith was able to infuse structural forms with an eloquent sense of drama, often drawing upon tribal influences that referenced his African American heritage. Establishing his workshop at 140 West Fourth Street, New York, 1948, Smith's reputation as an innovative jewelry designer -- often creating stage costumes and jewelry for the city's black dance companies -- was to be confirmed by his participation in the national exhibition of contemporary jewelry, Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, 1948.
Smith believed that jewelry was not fully expressed until worn, and observed that one should not ask "how do bracelets go, but what can I do with an arm?"
cf. M. Eidelberg (ed.), Design 1935-1965: What Modern Was, New York, 1991, p. 99 for an example illustrated;
T. Greenbaum, Messengers of Modernism: American Studio Jewelry 1940-1960, New York, 1996, p. 92 for an example illustrated; From the Village to Vogue: The Modernist Jewelry of Art Smith, exhibition catalogue, Brooklyn Museum, 2008, pp. 4, 15 for an example illustrated.