Lot 63243: LEE N. SMITH III (American, b. 1950) Blocks and

LEE N. SMITH III (American, b. 1950) Blocks and Sticks, 1988 Oil on canvas 48 x 67-1/4 inches (121.9 x 170.8 cm) Signed, titled, and dated verso: Blocks and Sticks / 2/88 Paris / LN Smith III In 1984, Lee N. Smith III, primarily a self-taught artist, was selected as one of twenty-four artists to represent the United States at the Venice Biannual. Born in New Orleans, Smith moved at age six to the semi-rural outskirts of East Dallas. The suburban landscape has inspired a majority of Smith's works. Behind rows of nearly identical houses were acres of hayfields that provided an ever-changing playground for Lee and his friends. When the hay was bound into bales, they first thought their idyllic setting was ruined. In Lee's words, ". . .then we realized the immense potential of these bales - - bricks surely as large and as heavy as the Egyptians must have used. With these blocks, and our strength alone, we built monumental fortresses that could be seen for miles across the now-flattened landscape." Doubtless drawn from his childhood memories, Blocks and Sticks presents a surreal and timeless narrative that depicts a group of green-skinned boys lifting an orange bale of hay. Smith's works are represented in private and institutional collections throughout the country including: Dallas Museum of Art; Modern Art Museum, Fort Worth; Tyler Museum of Art; Houston Museum of Fine Arts; and Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago.