Kiki Smith (b. 1954, Nuremberg, Germany) is an acclaimed American multidisciplinary artist celebrated for her evocative explorations of the human condition, the natural world, and mythology. Raised in New Jersey and based in New York City and the Hudson Valley, Smith emerged in the late 1970s as a vital voice in New York’s downtown art scene.
Working across sculpture, printmaking, drawing, glass, and tapestry, her practice has evolved from visceral, feminist investigations of human anatomy and mortality in the 1980s and 1990s to poetic depictions of animals, folklore, and celestial imagery. Smith’s deeply tactile works often pair fragile materials like paper and porcelain with enduring mediums such as bronze and aluminum.
She has been the subject of over 150 solo exhibitions worldwide, including major retrospectives at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and the Whitney Museum of American Art, and has participated in five Venice Biennales. Her work is held in permanent collections globally, including the Tate, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, and the Centre Pompidou.