Smith started working with sculpture in the 1970s.
Kiki Smith was born in Nuremberg, Germany in the year 1969. Kiki Smith is known for portraying the figure in a variety of mediums. My favorite works of the artist are her sculptures which can be bronzes , silver, and sometimes porcelain. She also is a superb printmaker producing great deal of etchings. Smith also has worked with photography a great deal.
Her mother was an world reknown opera singer named Jane and her father Tony a world reknown painter and sculptor. Below is an example of signature sculpture style, but he also made a fair amount of works using acrylics and pastels that were very organic in shape and abstract in expression.
For her collegiate education studied industrial banking.
Awarded the Athena Award for excellence in printmaking at the Rhode Island School of Design.
In 2005 she was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
Price range information: Works done in Ink can range from $3,000 to $132,000. Pastel range is $3,500 to $296,000. Lithographic prints can be found from $3,000 to $22,000. Etchings can be found from $500 to $10,000. Bronzes can be found from $3,000 to $250,000. Smaller jewelry works can be found for few thousand dollars.
A clip from an exerpt about the artist on Art21. I have rented this series from my local library and then bought it on ebay. It gives a good story about many artists working in the national spectre from Mark Bradford to Kara Walker to William Kentridge.
The Museum of Modern Art in London owns fifty of the artist’s prints. When it comes to prints I love the artist’s strategy, Kiki Smith says each print is like a human in that we are all the same yet we are all unique.
Smith garnered much recognition for a series done on body parts which were done on a variety of clothes from scarfs to t shirts. She portrayed various body parts including the heart, lungs, male reproductive organ, and the female reproductive organ.
Won the first prize at the 51st Venice Biennale for an installation titled HOMESPUN TALES.
For her studies on anatomy the artist enjoyed working from both live models and also cadavers.
Another interesting idea is that Smith fears that the excitement and unpredictability has gone out of the art world. Its a view I share as well, something is doing great then everyone tries it. Someone has great success with something, then everyone does it looking for rave reviews, even if they don’t enjoy the process itself. When the artist first came to New York city Smith said she had to work, work, work. Now you can find something that sells, copy it, and have a great career. A great example would be Mickalane Thomas, who came to the art world with a great idea mixing rhinestones in her art and had great success. Then you have other artists like Fab Five Freddy that come along, copycat, and also get good reviews.
In this clip hear the artist talk about a series of prints made in collaboration with Crown Point Press.
I agree, the originality has left the world for the most part! For some artist’s with very unique ideas please check out the ART 21 series.
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