Kiki Smith
American, born Germany, 1954
Person TypeIndividual
BiographyBorn in West Germany, Smith moved as an infant to New Jersey with her father, renowned sculptor Tony Smith, and her mother, opera singer Jane Lawrence. After a brief stint at Hartford Art School, Smith moved to New York City in 1976 where she joined the radical artist collective Collaborative Projects (Colab) and the influence of the group’s use of unconventional materials has informed much of her own work. Her figurative work of the late 80s and early 90s confronted subjects such as AIDS, gender, and race while her recent work have depicted the human condition in relationship to nature. Smith has produced major works in a variety of materials including bronze, steel, textiles, and glass, and she has examined a wide range of printmaking processes. She has also achieved recognition for her collaborative performance works. Her work is in the collection of more than 30 museums worldwide including: Whitney Museum of Art, NY; Museum of Modern Art, NY; Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; Cleveland Museum of Art; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Art Institute of Chicago; Tate Gallery, London; Victoria and Albert Museum, London, among others.