Cubi XIV
- Date
- 1963
- Material
- Stainless steel
- Classification
- Sculpture
- Collection
- Modern and Contemporary Art
- Current Location
- Not on view
- Dimensions
- 125 1/2 x 78 x 30 3/4 in. (318.8 x 198.1 x 78.1 cm)
- Credit Line
- Friends Endowment Fund
- Rights
- © Estate of David Smith / Licensed by ARS New York
- Object Number
- 32:1979
NOTES
For Cubi XIV, David Smith welded together geometric units made from industrial stainless steel. This technique allowed him to produce sculptures without casting or carving. In 1961, Smith began creating his final sculptural group, the Cubi series, whose title refers to the early 20th-century art movement, Cubism. While the structured composition of the sculpture recalls the shifting facets of Cubist art, the use of radically simplified, industrial materials anticipates the rise of Minimalism in the 1960s. The textured surface, which Smith achieved with an electric sander, invests the sculpture with gestural energy.
Provenance
- still in 1966
David Smith (1906-1965), Bolton Landing, NY; Estate of David Smith [1]
by 1977 - 1979
Philip M. Stern (d.1992), Washington, D.C. [2]
1979 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchased from Philip M. Stern, through Blum Helman Gallery, Inc., New York, NY [3]
Notes:
[1] The Estate of David Smith was published as the owner and lender of "Cubi XIV" in a 1966 exhibition catalogue, with the qualification "courtesy Marlborough-Gerson Gallery." Since Marlborough-Gerson Gallery was also named as the lender for a 1964 exhibition, it seems the gallery was handling the sculpture for Smith, while the artist (and later his estate) retained ownership of the work. ["David Smith: A Memorial Exhibition." Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum, 1965, p. 21; "Documenta III: Internationale Ausstellung." Vol. 1. Cologne: M. DuMont Schauberg, 1964, p. 296-297].
[2] Philip M. Stern is named as the owner in the 1977 catalogue raisonné [Krauss, Rosalind. "The Sculpture of David Smith: A Catalogue Raisonné." New York: Garland Publishing, Inc., 1977, no. 662]. An undated information sheet, most likely from the time the Museum acquired "Cubi XIV," describes the sculpture as from the collection of Philip Stern, Washington, D.C., offered through Blum-Helman Gallery [SLAM document files]. This document seems to suggest that Blum-Helman Gallery acted as an agent for Stern. This conclusion is further supported by the fact that the sculpture was shipped to the Museum from Washington, D.C., where Stern resided, rather than from New York, where Blum-Helman Gallery was located [memo from Mary-Edgar Patton, February 7, 1979, SLAM document files].
[3] Minutes of the Acquisitions Committee of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, April 10, 1979.
David Smith (1906-1965), Bolton Landing, NY; Estate of David Smith [1]
by 1977 - 1979
Philip M. Stern (d.1992), Washington, D.C. [2]
1979 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchased from Philip M. Stern, through Blum Helman Gallery, Inc., New York, NY [3]
Notes:
[1] The Estate of David Smith was published as the owner and lender of "Cubi XIV" in a 1966 exhibition catalogue, with the qualification "courtesy Marlborough-Gerson Gallery." Since Marlborough-Gerson Gallery was also named as the lender for a 1964 exhibition, it seems the gallery was handling the sculpture for Smith, while the artist (and later his estate) retained ownership of the work. ["David Smith: A Memorial Exhibition." Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum, 1965, p. 21; "Documenta III: Internationale Ausstellung." Vol. 1. Cologne: M. DuMont Schauberg, 1964, p. 296-297].
[2] Philip M. Stern is named as the owner in the 1977 catalogue raisonné [Krauss, Rosalind. "The Sculpture of David Smith: A Catalogue Raisonné." New York: Garland Publishing, Inc., 1977, no. 662]. An undated information sheet, most likely from the time the Museum acquired "Cubi XIV," describes the sculpture as from the collection of Philip Stern, Washington, D.C., offered through Blum-Helman Gallery [SLAM document files]. This document seems to suggest that Blum-Helman Gallery acted as an agent for Stern. This conclusion is further supported by the fact that the sculpture was shipped to the Museum from Washington, D.C., where Stern resided, rather than from New York, where Blum-Helman Gallery was located [memo from Mary-Edgar Patton, February 7, 1979, SLAM document files].
[3] Minutes of the Acquisitions Committee of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, April 10, 1979.
We regularly update records, which may be incomplete. If you have additional information, please contact us at provenance@slam.org.