“Stop to examine this imposing steel sculpture, a "totem" built from industrial tank parts. It masterfully blends the raw power of modern industry with the suggestive form of a standing figure, challenging your perception of both.”
Towering over you, this sculpture of welded steel rises with an imposing, almost architectural presence. The artist assembled industrial elements, specifically boiler parts and cylindrical tank sections, into an open network of abstract forms. These components, purchased from a catalog, were the quintessential modern material of the 1950s, symbolizing progress, power, and even destruction. This piece, the first in a series, explores the boundary between the human figure and an abstract sign. You can see how the upright structure, despite its industrial origins, suggests a standing body, a "totem" made from the "tank" parts. The interplay of solid forms and negative space creates a dynamic visual rhythm, inviting you to walk around it and experience its shifting contours.
- Artist
- David Smith
- Date
- 1952
- Medium
- Steel
- Location
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Dimensions
- 228 × 99 × 42 cm (89 3/4 × 39 × 16 1/2 in.)
- Collection
- Contemporary Art
- Culture
- United States
- Credit line
- Gift of Jay Steinberg and Muriel Kallis Steinberg in memory of her father, Maurice Kallis
What to Notice
Five details hide in plain sight. Here’s where to look.
The large, cylindrical tank sections forming the torso and head.
The smaller, more angular steel pieces creating limb-like extensions.
The way light reflects off the varied textures of the welded steel.
The balance between solid mass and open, airy spaces.
1 more detail is waiting.
See all 5 in Art Whisper →Stand in front of it and listen
The full narration walks you through Tanktotem I — the story behind it, the details most visitors miss, and why it matters. Free in the Art Whisper app.
David Smith
David Smith transformed steel into monumental, expressive sculptures, pushing the boundaries of what metal could convey in art.
Further Works by Smith
More works to explore
Beyond Smith: works from the same years.
Same era · 1930s–1960s
Greyed Rainbow
Jackson Pollock · 1953 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1930s–1960s
Sun Spot
Yayoi Kusama · 1953 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1930s–1960s
Deux personnages
Pierre Alechinsky · 1950
Same era · 1930s–1960s
Impregnazione
Piero Manzoni · 1958
Same era · 1930s–1960s
Essai
Sam Francis · 1963 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1930s–1960s
Alka Seltzer
Roy Lichtenstein · 1966 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1930s–1960s
The Jester
Philip Evergood · 1950 · Whitney Museum of American Art
Same era · 1930s–1960s
Portrait of Mary Block
Ivan Puni · 1955 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1930s–1960s
Nighthawks
Okada Saburosuke · 1942 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1930s–1960s
Wheatfield
Georges Braque · 1951 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1930s–1960s
Figure with Meat
Francis Bacon · 1954 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1930s–1960s
Portrait of Sylvette David
Pablo Picasso · 1954 · Art Institute of Chicago