David SmithAgricola VIII 1952

The use of ‘Agricola’, the Latin word for farmer, in the title of this work refers to the agricultural implements from which it is made. Smith found many of the tools and disused machinery parts he used in his sculpture lying around near his home in upstate New York. He wrote: ‘Forms in function are not often appreciated in their context except for their mechanical performance. With time and the passing of their function... metaphoric changes can take place permitting a new unity, one that is strictly visual’.