Cary Smith

Cary Smith’s hard-edged paintings have delighted viewers since the 1980s with their buoyant color combinations and visual precision. His abstract motifs include geometric combinations of colorful squares, mosaic-like intersecting diagonal lines, ovals stacked in unusual combinations, and biomorphic shapes that recall Henri Matisse’s paper cutouts. Smith paints these intricate patterns with a mechanical drawing device rather than with the aid of tape. His work has also been compared to abstract artists of earlier generations, such as Ellsworth Kelly. Smith received a BFA from Syracuse University in 1977 and rose to prominence after being included in the 1989 Whitney Biennial. His numerous solo shows include a presentation at the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum (2014–15). His work is represented in collections such as the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Brooklyn Museum, and the Yale University Art Gallery.