Dennis Von Smith (born 1942) is an American sculptor. He is a

Latter-day Saint Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into several ...

and some of his artwork deals with LDS themes. He is most noted in LDS circles for having created most of the statues that form the Monument to Women Memorial Garden in Nauvoo, Illinois.

Biography

Smith was born in

Alpine, Utah Alpine is a city on the northeastern edge of Utah County, Utah. The population was 10,251 at the time of the 2020 census. Alpine has been one of the many quickly-growing cities of Utah since the 1970s, especially in the 1990s. This city is th ...

in 1942 where he lived until 1961 when he left on a two-year LDS missionary in

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

. He graduated from

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-d ...

in 1966. He was accepted into the

Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts ( da, Det Kongelige Danske Kunstakademi - Billedkunst Skolerne) has provided education in the arts for more than 250 years, playing its part in the development of the art of Denmark. History The Royal Dan ...

and returned to Utah in 1968. Smith began his art production in 1968, working in his father's chicken coop. Smith created a sculpture named "Christina" that is named for his Danish immigrant great-grandmother and is in Copenhagen that portrays her having a strong faith. There is also a casting on "Christina" in the Statue Garden at Brigham Young University between the Museum of Art and the Harris Fine Arts Center. Another one of his statues, this one in Rebild, Denmark represents an LDS emigrant family about to depart Denmark. There are also works by Smith in the

Salt Lake City International Airport Salt Lake City International Airport is a civil-military airport located about west of Downtown Salt Lake City, Utah, in the United States. The airport is the closest commercial airport for more than 2.5 million people and is within a 30-min ...

and

Primary Children's Medical Center Intermountain Primary Children's Hospital (PCH) (formerly Primary Children's Medical Center) is a nationally ranked pediatric acute care children's teaching hospital located in Salt Lake City, Utah. The hospital has 289 pediatric beds and is aff ...

. In 1989, Smith's ''Signing of the Constitution'' sculpture was placed in US embassies in Moscow and London due to a donation of money from

Richard Headlee Richard Harold Headlee (May 16, 1930 – November 9, 2004) was an American businessman and politician from Michigan. He was the unsuccessful Republican nominee for Governor of Michigan in the 1982 election. He was also known as the author of th ...

. Smith's ''In The Family Circle'' was given to Joan Bolger, wife of New Zealand's prime minister James Bolger by

Richard G. Scott Richard Gordon Scott (November 7, 1928 – September 22, 2015) was an American scientist and religious leader who served as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Scott was b ...

and other church representatives in 1996. His studio is located in

, and he is a longtime resident of

Highland, Utah Highland is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States. It is approximately south of Salt Lake City and is part of the Provo– Orem Metropolitan Statistical Area. According to the 2010 census the population was 15,523, a 90.0% increase o ...

. His ''First Step'' statue has also been presented to many dignitaries by the church, including president George H. W. Bush.''Church News'', July 25, 1992

References

*''Church News'' September 30, 1989

Biography

References

Further reading