Jack Smith (2) (1932–1989)

Jack Smith (1932-1989) was an underground filmmaker and performance artist known for his Camp and Trash production style and his innovative, controversial films. A utopian and anti-capitalist, Smith incorporated social and political critique, as well as discarded footage from classic and B-grade Hollywood films, into his work from the 1960s to the late '80s. He gained notoriety early in his career for battling the Supreme Court over the banning of his seminal film Flaming Creatures (1961). In addition to his films, shorts and performance work, Smith founded the Hyperbole Photographic Studio in New York City and published The Beautiful Book in 1962, re-released by Granary Books in 2001. His work has influenced generations of artists in independent film, performance art, theater, glam-rock, and other media, from Andy Warhol, a collaborator, to Cindy Sherman, John Waters, and Richard Foreman.