Exhibition David Smith; sculptures in iron and steel

David Smith; sculptures in iron and steel is going be the first European exhibition of the American sculptor, whose work, Oxenaar believes ‘is of great importance, also for the development of many young artists in Europe and America’.

When the plans are already well advanced, Smith is sadly killed in a car accident. ‘We learned of the tragic and sudden death of David Smith, it was a great shock to us all. There was still so much to look forward to in the development of his oeuvre and it seems very sad that we will now honour him with a commemorative exhibition.’ A retrospective of his oeuvre, with almost 50 very large sculptures, is presented in the expansive fields in the new section of the sculpture garden. More than 50,000 people visit the exhibition in Otterlo, after which the works travel on to London, Basel, Duisburg and Nuremberg.

Smith’s death has increased the interest in his work. Oxenaar is able to acquire the sculpture Voltri IV, which makes the Rijksmuseum Kröller-Müller the only European museum to have a work by this artist in its collection.