
Smoke
Tony Smith's monumental sculpture Smoke is a commanding example of Minimalist abstraction rendered at architectural scale, its faceted dark steel planes creating a dynamic interplay of light and shadow as viewers move beneath and around its massive interlocking forms. Originally conceived in 1967 and fabricated in large scale iterations for public installation, the work exemplifies Smith's signature approach of translating organic and geometric logic into bold volumetric structures that transform the spaces they inhabit. Collectors and institutions prize Smoke for its rare ability to function simultaneously as pure sculpture and experiential environment, making it one of the most sought after works in the canon of postwar American sculpture.
- Spotted At
- Public Space · LACMA
More by Tony Smith
Spotted works by Tony Smith
Artists in conversation

Richard Serra
American · b. 1938

Serra's monumental dark weathered steel sculptures share Smoke's architectural scale, faceted planar geometry, and the way viewers physically navigate through and around massive interlocking steel forms that create dramatic plays of light and shadow.

Alexander Calder
American · b. 1898

Calder's large scale painted steel stabiles occupy outdoor and institutional spaces with similarly bold volumetric dark geometric forms that transform their surrounding environment and engage viewers at a monumental architectural scale.

Mark di Suvero
American · b. 1933

Di Suvero creates massive outdoor steel sculptures with interlocking geometric steel elements at architectural scale that similarly dominate public spaces and create dynamic spatial relationships as viewers move around and beneath them.
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