A black and white photograph shows a figure dressed in white with a white cap climbing a sand dune on hands and knees A black and white photograph shows a figure dressed in white with a white cap climbing a sand dune on hands and knees

Since the 1960s, Barbara T. Smith (b. 1931 in Pasadena) has been at the forefront of artistic movements in California. Her work explores concepts that strike at the core of human nature, including sexuality, physical and spiritual sustenance, technology, and death. This autobiographical exhibition is told in Smith's voice and coincides with the Getty’s publication of her memoir. It explores the artist’s first 50 years, which were marked by dramatic upheavals in her personal life as well as the development of her most pioneering works, including her Xerox art and radical early performances.

Supported by the Danielson Foundation and the Pasadena Art Alliance

This exhibition is presented in English and Spanish.
Esta exhibición se presenta en inglés y en español.

SELECTED WORKS

A photograph of a paper doll figurine in a matching green underwear set is surrounded by various colorful dresses and outfits set against a black background.

Paper doll, about 1940s, Barbara T. Smith. Getty Research Institute, 2014.M.14

A sepia-colored business card features a lipstick mouth print in black ink with “Barbara T. Smith” signed in cursive across the middle.

Barbara T. Smith’s business card, 1970, Barbara T. Smith. Getty Research Institute, 2014.M.14

A spiral-bound book, the left page bright orange and the right fuschia, shows a photocopied Xerox image of a teenager in glasses looking at the viewer

Coffin: Die Cut, Rick Hard-Bound, 1966–67, Barbara T. Smith. Getty Research Institute, 2013.M.23

A color photograph depicts a cluster of tall, tubular, pearl pink and yellow blades against the backdrop of a blue sky

Field Piece, installed at the Long Beach Museum of Art, 1972, Barbara T. Smith. Getty Research Institute, 2014.M.14

A black and white photograph depicts a nude person suspended to a wall with strips of duct tape while another person tracing their outline on the wall

T. Michael Jagger and Catherine Miller in Nude Frieze, performed at F-Space, Santa Ana, CA, 1972, Barbara T. Smith. Getty Research Institute, 2014.M.14

A black and white photograph depicts a figure with short hair dressed in a white shirt and a dark coat, sitting in an open field, gazing down

Pure Food, performed in Costa Mesa, CA, 1973, Barbara T. Smith.Getty Research Institute, 2014.M.14

A black and white photograph shows a figure dressed in white with a white cap climbing a sand dune

The Way to Be, performed at various locations between San Francisco and Seattle, 1972, Barbara T. Smith. Getty Research Institute, 2014.M.14. Photo: Michael Kelley and Ernie Adams

A color photograph shows three silhouetted individuals posing in front of a mirrored black glass painting propped against a building on a sidewalk

Photograph of Untitled (red triangle), from the Black Glass Paintings series, 1965–66, Barbara T. Smith. Getty Research Institute, 2014.M.14

A color image shows two hands placed against the glass surface of a scanner, with a green Xerox print of a face in the background

Signifier 1, 2016, Barbara T. Smith. Getty Research Institute, 2022.PR.14

A black and white photograph depicts a nude person suspended to a wall with strips of duct tape while another person tracing their outline on the wall
A black and white photograph depicts a figure with short hair dressed in a white shirt and a dark coat, sitting in an open field, gazing down
A black and white photograph shows a figure dressed in white with a white cap climbing a sand dune
A color photograph shows three silhouetted individuals posing in front of a mirrored black glass painting propped against a building on a sidewalk
A color image shows two hands placed against the glass surface of a scanner, with a green Xerox print of a face in the background
A photograph of a paper doll figurine in a matching green underwear set is surrounded by various colorful dresses and outfits set against a black background.
A sepia-colored business card features a lipstick mouth print in black ink with “Barbara T. Smith” signed in cursive across the middle.
A spiral-bound book, the left page bright orange and the right fuschia, shows a photocopied Xerox image of a teenager in glasses looking at the viewer
A color photograph depicts a cluster of tall, tubular, pearl pink and yellow blades against the backdrop of a blue sky
A black and white photograph depicts a nude person suspended to a wall with strips of duct tape while another person tracing their outline on the wall
A black and white photograph depicts a figure with short hair dressed in a white shirt and a dark coat, sitting in an open field, gazing down
A black and white photograph shows a figure dressed in white with a white cap climbing a sand dune
A color photograph shows three silhouetted individuals posing in front of a mirrored black glass painting propped against a building on a sidewalk
A color image shows two hands placed against the glass surface of a scanner, with a green Xerox print of a face in the background
A photograph of a paper doll figurine in a matching green underwear set is surrounded by various colorful dresses and outfits set against a black background.
A sepia-colored business card features a lipstick mouth print in black ink with “Barbara T. Smith” signed in cursive across the middle.
A spiral-bound book, the left page bright orange and the right fuschia, shows a photocopied Xerox image of a teenager in glasses looking at the viewer
A color photograph depicts a cluster of tall, tubular, pearl pink and yellow blades against the backdrop of a blue sky
A black and white photograph depicts a nude person suspended to a wall with strips of duct tape while another person tracing their outline on the wall
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Paper doll, about 1940s, Barbara T. Smith. Getty Research Institute, 2014.M.14

PUBLICATION

The Way to Be: A Memoir
Barbara T. Smith

NEWS & STORIES

The Music of My Life

Songs that define key moments of Smith's artistic career

The Xerox Machine in the Dining Room

How Smith fell in love with a photocopier

Press Release: Artist Barbara T. Smith at the Getty Research Institute

The exhibition and memoir explore the artist's first 50 years

VIDEO

The Way To Be: Barbara T. Smith's Art of Transformation

From a traditional Pasadena housewife to one of the most radical artists of her time, Smith narrates her extraordinary life in this documentary short.

EXHIBITION RESOURCES

Barbara T. Smith performances playlist on YouTube

Exhibition checklist (English and Spanish)

Complete gallery wall texts (English and Spanish)

GALLERY TOURS

Wednesdays at 2:00 p.m.
March 1–July 12, 2023
(Note: No tours on May 3 and May 10)

Tour capacity may be limited.

MOBILE TOUR

Download the GettyGuide® app

Explore this exhibition with a free audio tour—as told by Barbara T. Smith. Available in English and Spanish.

Audio transcript available in English and Spanish

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