Tony Smith

The monumental The Snake is Out by Tony Smith was originally a small plywood model until 1969 when Smith was commissioned to create a steel version of the work for the Empire State Plaza Art Collection. Named after the moving forms of the snake, Smith was also inspired by John McNulty’s short story Third Avenue Medicine in which the author’s characters refer to a vein popping from a drunken man’s forehead as “the snake is out!” The undulating, massive forms of the work may take on different forms and shapes depending on the viewer’s point of view and position.

Title: The Snake Is Out, ⅓
Date: 1962-69
Medium: painted mild steel
Dimensions: 182.25 x 322.5 x 203.5 inches
Accession Number: P69.4.2
Location: Outdoor Plaza

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