Art Smith was one of the most celebrated jewellery designers of the mid-20th century, known for infusing boldness and elegance into large-scale pieces that were designed for everyday wear. As one of the very few prominent African-American jewellery artists of his time, Smith ran a small studio and showroom in Greenwich Village for over three decades, often working with just two assistants.
Born Arthur “Art” Smith in Cuba in 1917 to Jamaican parents, his family moved permanently to Brooklyn in 1920. Smith studied commercial art and sculpture at Cooper Union, earning a scholarship and graduating in 1940. He further developed his craft by taking evening jewellery classes with Winifred Mason, an African-American jewellery pioneer known for her commercial work in copper and her inspiration from West Indian culture and folk art. Mason became both a mentor and a crucial influence on Smith.
Smith apprenticed with Mason in her Greenwich Village studio for several years before opening his own shop in 1946. His early career was marked by challenges, being an openly gay Black man at the time, his studio faced vandalism and break-ins. Yet, he quickly gained recognition within the bohemian art scene downtown for his captivating and sensuous jewellery that moved gracefully with the wearer. His clientele included prominent figures like Lena Horne and Duke Ellington, and he created commissions for modern dance companies led by choreographers such as Talley Beatty and Claude Marchant.
By the mid-1950s, Smith’s designs had expanded beyond his studio and were sold through Bloomingdale’s and boutiques nationwide. His work regularly featured in magazines like Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue. During this period, he produced smaller, more commercially accessible pieces—earrings, cufflinks, and rings—in sterling silver and gold, often incorporating striking semi-precious stones.
A key element of Smith’s innovation was his unconventional use of materials. Rather than limiting himself to traditional precious metals, he embraced copper, brass and sterling silver, often combining these with semi-precious stones to create tactile, sculptural pieces. This choice reflected his commitment to bold, expressive jewellery that was both accessible and artful. His inventive combinations of metals, textures, and colourful stones contributed to the unique and dynamic quality that defined his work.
Art Smith’s jewellery is historically significant because it challenged the traditional boundaries of design and representation in the mid-century American art and fashion worlds. His work brought a new level of sophistication and theatricality to wearable art, while also asserting the creative voice of a Black, openly gay artist in a time of widespread exclusion. Art Smith’s bold, sculptural designs celebrated the movement and the human body, influencing both contemporary artists and the evolution of modern jewellery as an expressive art form. His legacy paved the way for greater diversity and innovation in the jewellery industry.
In 1970, the Museum of Contemporary Crafts in New York (now the Museum of Arts and Design) honoured Smith with a retrospective exhibition celebrating his career. After suffering a heart attack, his output slowed, and his shop closed in 1979. Smith passed away in 1982. Posthumously, he has been celebrated with exhibitions such as the 1990 retrospective at the Jamaica Arts Centre curated by artist Camille Billops, and the 2008 show “From the Village to Vogue” at the Brooklyn Museum, which recognized his significant impact on jewellery design.
