Josh Smith
Painted his own name thousands of times, then leaves, fish, skeletons and the Grim Reaper.
Josh Smith was born in Knoxville in 1976 and worked as a printer's assistant before painting. He began by painting his own name, over and over, in every conceivable manner and at every level of competence, as a way of removing the question of subject entirely and leaving only the making. Since then he has worked in series — leaves, palm trees, fish, skeletons, the Grim Reaper, sunsets — pursuing each at high volume until it is exhausted, and treating overproduction as a deliberate position rather than an accident. He shows with David Zwirner and works in New York.
Volume is the defining fact and it cuts both ways: supply is genuinely large, series vary considerably in demand, and the market distinguishes sharply between them, so identifying which series and which year a painting belongs to is the first task. Signature and date are usually on the reverse. Smith paints on canvas, panel and found supports including his own printed matter, and works in thin, matt, unvarnished acrylic and oil that scuffs easily. Monoprints and painted books are numerous and are unique rather than editioned.
If you own a work by Josh Smith
Send photographs and whatever paperwork came with it. The first question is what the work actually is — edition or unique, when, and in what condition — because everything else follows from the answer. A valuation costs nothing and commits you to nothing.
Write to info@whitebankfineart.co.uk, or start below.
Whitebank Fine Art is an art advisory and gallery, not an auction house, and is not affiliated with any auction house or with the artist, their estate or their representatives. This page describes the range we advise on. Nothing here is investment advice.