Revisiting the artistic legacy of a pioneering figure in hard-edge abstraction
From today's perspective, the dynamic, geometric abstractions of Leon Polk Smith (1906–96) stand out as a missing link in art history. His work connects the European avant-garde with American Abstract Expressionism via his transformations of Mondrian’s legacy. Smith's pioneering role in the hard-edge style and his shaped canvases represent key developments in painting: departing from the rectangular canvas allowed Smith to conceive new interrelations between his two-color compositions and their spatial context. His Constellations series, created between 1967 and 1975, marks the high point of his career, and won him artistic acclaim beyond the US.
Alongside early compositions from the 1940s and multipart shaped canvases, Leon Polk Smith: Going Beyond Space features collages, prints, reliefs and painted objects and proposes a new reception of Smith’s decades-spanning oeuvre.
