Tau is a large-scale abstract sculpture by American artist Tony Smith, designed in the early 1960s. The work is constructed from black painted steel and measures 14 feet high by 12 feet wide by 12 feet deep (approximately 430 cm × 370 cm × 370 cm). Its title refers to the Greek letter Τ (tau), which also describes the shape of the sculpture.
Description
The sculpture is composed of a space lattice formed by groupings of simple platonic solids—specifically octahedrons and tetrahedrons. Smith created the original model for Tau in 1961–62 using his characteristic process of joining small cardboard tetrahedrons, a method he developed while recuperating from a severe automobile accident in the spring of 1961. During this period, Smith was transitioning from a 20-year career in architecture to focus on painting and sculpture, and he had begun teaching at Hunter College in New York in 1962.
Historical Information
Tau belongs to Smith's series of cast bronze and painted steel sculptures that includes Amaryllis (1965) and The Snake Is Out (1962), all evolving from his first titled sculpture, Throne (1956–57). Though less publicized than some of his other works, Tau is part of a body of work inspired by Smith's often-cited, revelatory road trip on the unfinished New Jersey Turnpike in the early 1950s, which he described as a liberating experience that reshaped his views on art.
Versions
There are two extant versions of the large sculpture:
Tau (AP): Fabricated at the Lippincott Foundry in 2005, this version is located in Meadowland Park in South Orange, New Jersey—Smith's hometown. The effort to fabricate and install the sculpture was initiated in 2002 by the Lennie Pierro Memorial Arts Foundation, with Jane Smith (the artist's widow) donating the rights to fabricate the work. After a public controversy over funding, the sculpture was installed in Meadowland Park in November 2008 and dedicated on April 18, 2009.
Tau (1/3): This version is located on the urban campus of Hunter College in New York City. It was installed outside the college at the 6 train's 68th Street entrance in 1984, more than 20 years after its design. In 2004, Hunter College held an exhibition titled "Tracing Tau," curated by William C. Agee, which explored the sculpture's origins through paper models, drawings, and plans.
