Overview
- People close to Smith confirmed his death this week and outlets in the art world have reported that no official cause or place of death has been made public.
- Tripoli Gallery has delayed the September exhibition 'Delay of Game' as the gallery consults with Smith’s family about future dates and plans for the works.
- Smith rose to prominence after his 2011 Cooper Union thesis and became known for his 'Rain Paintings,' made by spraying paint from a fire extinguisher, a series that fetched high prices in the early 2010s including a $389,000 Phillips sale in 2013.
- After the market cooled around 2015, Smith stepped back from commercial galleries and founded Serving the People to support emerging artists; in the mid-2020s he reopened the artist-run restaurant Food and engaged in museum shows and NFT projects.
- Critics linked his early work to the so-called 'zombie formalism' market boom and his later initiatives created paid work and exhibition space for younger artists, meaning his death may pause or reshape several community programs and local projects he led.