Cubi XIV, 1963 (stainless steel)

David Smith revolutionized sculpture in the 1940s by using arc-welded steel, a material traditionally used for industrial purposes. He refined this technique in his influential Cubi series of large stainless steel sculptures, which he produced between 1961 and 1965. This sculpture consists of four stainless steel boxes resting on a vertical shaft. The surfaces of the sculpture have been burnished with energetic gestural marks. While it is clearly concerned with the displacement of form in space, it also relates to the history of modern painting. The geometric forms in the work and its title both refer to Cubism, while the markings on the surface relate to the "action paintings" of the Abstract Expressionists. Smith delighted in the play of light on these textured surfaces. While some Cubi sculptures are displayed indoors, Smith himself preferred to install them outside, where they reflect the colors of surrounding grass and sky as well as changing daylight.