David Smith (1906-1965), American sculptor and painter, pioneered in exploiting welded, openwork metal sculpture. His art was very influential, and he was one of the most significant American artists during the 1950s.

David Smith was born in Decatur, Ind. The family moved to Paulding, Ohio, in 1921. In 1923 Smith studied art through a correspondence school, and the following year he matriculated for a year at Ohio University. During the summers he worked as a welder and riveter at the Studebaker plant in South Bend, Ind. He also took courses at Notre Dame University and at George Washington University. He entered the Art Students League in New York City in 1927 to study painting with John Sloan; that year he married Dorothy Dehner. The next year he studied privately with the Czech painter Jan Matulka, who introduced him to modern painting and sculpture. To support himself, Smith worked part time as...