Anton Sydney Smit (born 2 August 1954) is a contemporary South African sculptor known for his large-scale sculptures and public art exhibitions.
He is the father of South African artist Lionel Smit.
Career Smit began exhibiting his artwork in 1976 in South Africa. In 1979, he won the South African Association of Arts' New Signatures competition. His first solo exhibition was held in 1980 at the Beuster Skolimowski Gallery in Pretoria, South Africa, followed by additional local exhibitions throughout the 1980s.
Smit's first international exhibitions took place in 1991 in Rome and Milan, as well as at the Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto, Italy. This was followed by solo exhibitions at the Sweeguan Art Gallery in Singapore in 1993 and the Omni Gallery in New York in 1994.
In 1994, his work was exhibited at the inauguration of President Nelson Mandela at the Union Buildings in Pretoria, South Africa.
In 2003, he established the Anton Smit Sculpture Park at Bronkhorstspruit Dam, South Africa.
From the 2000s to the present, Smit has continued creating new works and exhibiting internationally.
Style Smit’s body of work comprises heads, human figures, nudes, masks, hands, angels, floating and stretching figures, warriors as well as abstract works in steel, metal, stone, a unique iron and polymer cast mixture, and bronze. His works often depict the human form reduced to a simplified symmetry, and are often patinated with vivid blue hues or dark rust.
Selected gallery and public exhibitions Smit has exhibited in numerous galleries since 1976.
1976: Etno Africa Gallery, Pretoria 1980: Solo exhibition, Beuster-Skolomowski Gallery, Pretoria 1980: A.P.S.A. National Exhibition at the Olivetti Gallery 1985: Exhibition, Michaelatos Gallery, The Joffa Collection, Los Angeles 1991: Exhibitions in Rome and Milan, Italy; exhibition at the Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto, Italy 1993: Solo exhibition at Sweeguan Art Gallery, Singapore 1994: Solo exhibition at Omni Gallery, New York 1994: Exhibition at the inauguration of President Nelson Mandela, Union Buildings, Pretoria, South Africa 1994: Exhibition in Bonn, Germany 1994: Public exhibition, Grand Central Station, New York 1996: Launch of the BMW 5 Series, Sandton Square, Johannesburg 1998: Exhibition at the South African Embassy, Bonn 1998: Solo exhibition, Artfolio Gallery, Singapore 1999: Exhibition at Inter Art Galerie Reich, Cologne, Germany 2000: Exhibition, Laguna Beach, California 2001: Exhibition, Hamburg, Germany 2005: The ID of South African Art, Scheveningen, Netherlands 2012: Transitions, George, South Africa 2016: Spirit of Tshwane, Menlyn on Maine, Pretoria, South Africa 2016: Colossal, Australian Bronze, Sydney, Australia 2017: SCOPE Art Fair, presented by DL Gallery, New York 2019: Ferrari Fine Arts Exhibition featuring Anton Smit, Johannesburg 2020: New Futurism, Uitstalling Gallery, Genk, Belgium 2021: SculptX, Fourth Edition, Johannesburg, South Africa 2022: Anton Smit: The Walk of Life, Leonardslee Gardens, Horsham, UK 2022: Contemporary South Africa, Thompson’s Gallery, London, UK 2023: Anton Smit Open Air Exhibition, Century City, Cape Town
Selected collections Rupert Art Foundation - Stellenbosch
Grande Provence – Franschhoek
Delaire Graff Estate - Stellenbosh
Lourensford – Somerset West
Benguela Cove – Hermanus
Century City Arts Foundation - Cape Town
References