This title presents a superbly illustrated and insightful examination of the life and works of Harry Smith, one of America's most significant post-war creative talents. Filmmaker, musicologist, painter, ethnographer, graphic designer, mystic, and collector of string figures and other patterns, Harry Smith (1923-1991) was among the most original creative forces to emerge in post-war American art and culture, yet his life, work, and legacy remain poorly understood. Today he is remembered primarily for his "Anthology of American Folk Music" (1952) - an idiosyncratic collection of early recordings that educated and inspired a generation of musicians and roots music fans - and for a body of innovative abstract and non-narrative films. Featuring contributions from noted scholars, critics, and historians - including Paul Arthur, Robert Cantwell, Thomas Crow, Stephen Freidman, Greil Marcus, and P. Adams Sitney - as well as a selection of Smith's works, letters, and other primary sources, this volume offers an insightful exploration of Smith's entire oeuvre within the history of avant-garde art production in twentieth century America.

A copiously illustrated, sweeping overview of the beloved polymath’s life and careerPublished with Whitney Museum of American Art.Harry Smith (1923-91) was a painter, filmmaker, folklorist, musicologist and collector as well as a radical nonconformist whose work defies categorization. This volume accompanies the major exhibition on the art and life of Harry Smith co-organized by the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Carpenter Center at Harvard University. It is the first publication featuring extensive color illustrations of Smith’s visual art, films and collections. It contains biographical information alongside examinations of his work across mediums.The publication follows Smith from an isolated Depression-era childhood in the Pacific Northwest through his counterculture youth in postwar Berkeley, California. From there, it traces his path through bebop and experimental cinema in San Francisco, to his profoundly influential decades spent in New York City, where he was an essential part of the city's avant-garde. This volume is a critical read for fans of Harry Smith, as well as those interested in any of the many countercultures and art movements that he shaped.

This title presents a superbly illustrated and insightful examination of the life and works of Harry Smith, one of America's most significant post-war creative talents. Filmmaker, musicologist, painter, ethnographer, graphic designer, mystic, and collector of string figures and other patterns, Harry Smith (1923-1991) was among the most original creative forces to emerge in post-war American art and culture, yet his life, work, and legacy remain poorly understood. Today he is remembered primarily for his "Anthology of American Folk Music" (1952) - an idiosyncratic collection of early recordings that educated and inspired a generation of musicians and roots music fans - and for a body of innovative abstract and non-narrative films. Featuring contributions from noted scholars, critics, and historians - including Paul Arthur, Robert Cantwell, Thomas Crow, Stephen Freidman, Greil Marcus, and P. Adams Sitney - as well as a selection of Smith's works, letters, and other primary sources, this volume offers an insightful exploration of Smith's entire oeuvre within the history of avant-garde art production in twentieth century America.

A copiously illustrated, sweeping overview of the beloved polymath’s life and careerPublished with Whitney Museum of American Art.Harry Smith (1923-91) was a painter, filmmaker, folklorist, musicologist and collector as well as a radical nonconformist whose work defies categorization. This volume accompanies the major exhibition on the art and life of Harry Smith co-organized by the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Carpenter Center at Harvard University. It is the first publication featuring extensive color illustrations of Smith’s visual art, films and collections. It contains biographical information alongside examinations of his work across mediums.The publication follows Smith from an isolated Depression-era childhood in the Pacific Northwest through his counterculture youth in postwar Berkeley, California. From there, it traces his path through bebop and experimental cinema in San Francisco, to his profoundly influential decades spent in New York City, where he was an essential part of the city's avant-garde. This volume is a critical read for fans of Harry Smith, as well as those interested in any of the many countercultures and art movements that he shaped.