Kier Smith

The sources for Kier Smith’s work were based in the art, architecture and sculpture of the Italian Renaissance. Smith’s stone carvings and woodcarvings were spare and direct, with clean lines and pure surfaces. Working in his small studio, Smith made his pieces in sections, which were then bolted or welded together to gain a larger presence. Drawing was vital to Smith, serving his sculpture in an indirect way, as a method of investigating subject matter and developing ideas.

Smith made his way as an artist through public commissions in the eighties. He was appointed artist in residence at Grizedale Forest, Cumbria in 1979 and again in 1981. He made a number of publicly sited sculptures including Towards the Open Sea for South Hill Park in Bracknell and Dendron for Yorkshire Sculpture Park, both in 1983. Smith has exhibited his work regularly in Britain in both solo and group shows, particularly significant was “Flint Sepulchre” at the University of Warwick in 1994.

Courtesy of CASS Sculpture Foundation