The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 24, 2025

Untitled (Cubi Study)

1962

David Smith

(American, 1906–1965)
America
blue and black spray paint on heavy weight wove paper
Sheet: 50.5 x 66.2 cm (19 7/8 x 26 1/16 in.)
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1986.19
© The Estate of David Smith / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

Although David Smith was best known as a sculptor, drawing was integral to his creative process.

Description

This drawing belongs to sculptor David Smith's "sprays" series (about 1957 to early 1960s), which exemplifies the artist's additive approach to composition. The drawings developed from his sculpture-making process, in which he manipulated pieces of steel on large white rectangles painted on his studio floor. Similarly, for his spray drawings, Smith placed scraps of metal, paper, and other found objects on a sheet of paper or canvas and sprayed enamel paint from various angles, allowing the support to set the image where the objects blocked the paint.
  • 1965-?
    Estate of the artist (the artist's daughters Candida and Rebecca Smith)
    ?-1986
    (Anthony d'Offay Gallery, London, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    1986-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • David Smith: Zeichnungen. Exh. Cat. Stuttgart: Staatsgalerie, 1976. Mentioned: pp. 6-7, 25, no. 65; Reproduced: p. 25
    Ameringer, Will. David Smith: Sprays from Bolton Landing. Exh. Cat. London: Anthony d'Offay, 1985. Mentioned and reproduced: no. 47
    Turner, Evan H. "The Year in Review for 1986." Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 74, no. 2 (February 1987): 38-79. Mentioned: p. 73; Reproduced: p. 71
    DeGrazia, Diane, and Carter E. Foster. Master Drawings from the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2000. Mentioned: p. 9, pp. 276-277, 298; Reproduced: p. 277
    Sims, Lowery Stokes. The Persistence of Geometry: Form, Content and Culture in the Collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Exh. Cat. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2006. Mentioned: p. 121, no. 101
  • The Persistence of Geometry: Form, Content and Culture in the Collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland (MOCA), Cleveland, OH (June 9-August 20, 2006).
    Master Drawings from the Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 27-October 17, 2000); The Morgan Library & Museum, New York, NY (May 23-August 19, 2001); Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Houston, TX (October 14, 2001-January 6, 2002).
    American Drawings from the Permanent Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (April 19-July 12, 1998).
    Changing Dimensions: Works on Paper by Sculptors. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 22, 1995-January 24, 1996).
    Year in Review for 1986. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 4-March 15, 1987).
    David Smith: Sprays from Bolton Landing. Anthony d'Offay, London (July 3 - August 24, 1985).
    David Smith: Zeichnungen. Staatsgalerie Stuttgart Graphische Sammlung (January - February 29, 1976); Nationalgalerie Berlin Staatliche Museen Preussen Kulturbesitz (March 16 - May 2, 1976); Wilhelm-Lehmbruck-Museum der Stadt Duisburg.
  • {{cite web|title=Untitled (Cubi Study)|url=false|author=David Smith|year=1962|access-date=24 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1986.19