Agricola I, Abstract sculpture at Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington DC, United States
Agricola I is a painted steel sculpture made from farm machinery parts assembled into a standing figure. It holds tools in both hands and uses raw industrial materials to create an abstract human form.
David Smith created this steel work in 1952 as the first in a series of 16 pieces using farm equipment. The artist helped establish a new direction in American sculpture by bringing together craft and industrial objects.
The name comes from the Latin word for farmer, pointing to the work's focus on manual labor and agricultural life. When you look at the figure, you see how the sculptor connected people with the tools they use every day.
The sculpture is permanently placed in the Hirshhorn Museum's outdoor collection and can be viewed year-round. Visitors can examine the rough surface texture and assembled parts up close from any angle.
Smith actually used damaged and outdated parts from real farms to build this figure, not specially made art materials. This reuse of scrap material gave the work an authentic connection to actual farming.
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