Recent Publication:
Gray Gallery Presents the Publication Release of Leon Polk Smith: Endless Space
Gray is pleased to announce the release of Leon Polk Smith: Endless Space, an illustrated publication examining the artist’s iconic Correspondence and Constellation series.
Produced on the occasion of the eponymous exhibition at Gray Warehouse in 2019, this in-depth volume offers readers the opportunity to explore 51 color illustrations, a foreword by art historian and independent curator Dana Miller and an essay by scholar and curator Jonathan David Katz.
Future Exhibitions:
The Lisson gallery is planning a retrospective survey in its New York City space of the paintings of Leon Polk Smith. It is currently planned to be held in the late spring or early summer, dates to be determined. The exhibition is curated by the New York City independent scholar and curator Lynn Zelevansky, former director of the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh and previously a curator at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and The Museum of Modern Art, New York. The exhibition consists of paintings and two works on paper and spans from 1949 to 1996. It is the broadest survey of Smith’s art since the Brooklyn Museum’s 1995-96 retrospective. A catalogue with an essay by Zelevansky will be produced in conjunction with the exhibition.
The Vancouver Contemporary Art Gallery in British Columbia is preparing a selection of Smith works mostly from the 1950s with a large component of works on paper. It is scheduled to open in the late summer. There are hopes to travel this exhibition to a second museum venue in the US.
The Heard Museum of Art in Phoenix, Arizona is organizing a solo Smith show that will include works from the 1930s to the 1990s. It is focused around the Native American influences and affinities in his art. Oklahoma Indian Territory-born Smith had parents who were each one-half Cherokee; he spoke Cherokee growing up and was proud of his heritage. This survey is currently scheduled to open in early 2021.