Barney Smith

Barney Smith (May 25, 1921 – July 23, 2019) was an American master plumber, artist and museum curator. He was best known for his Toilet Seat Art Museum in San Antonio, Texas, which he operated out of his home. It featured more than 1,000 pieces of art and drew visitors from around the globe.

Early life Smith was born in Eastland, Texas on May 25, 1921. His father was a plumber and his mother was a fiber artist. He attended a Bible training program at Lee University in Tennessee, and later worked for the college as a maintenance engineer. He also worked as a pastor in New Orleans, Louisiana, for a brief time before moving to San Antonio in 1961. He went to a plumbing supply warehouse and took home a large number of extra or defective seats to use for more pieces of art.

His collection of artwork included a toilet seat with pieces of the Berlin Wall, one with a piece of the Space Shuttle Challenger, and one with barbed wire from Auschwitz.

A book about Smith's life and art, King of the Commode: Barney Smith and His Toilet Seat Art Museum, was published in 2017.