SUBMERGE Solo Exhibition Lionel Smit
ABOUT
Lionel Smit was born in Pretoria, South Africa in 1982, he started developing and exhibiting straight after art school at Pro Arte Alphen Park. He now lives and works in Cape Town. He is best known for his contemporary portraiture executed through monumental canvasses and sculptures.
Smit exhibits locally in South Africa where he is considered one of the countries youngest investment artists. He is currently exhibiting and on art fairs in Amsterdam, Germany, India, Miami, Monaco, London and Hong Kong.
Over the past 10 years he has established a substantial international following with collectors ranging from the Standard Chartered Bank to Laurence Graff Art Collection at Graff Delaire wine estate.
Smit's painting has been exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery, where it received the Viewer’s Choice Award, as well as selected as the 'face' of the BP Portrait Award 2013 for all campaigns. He was recently honoured with a Ministerial Award from the Department of Culture for Visual Art and a highlight of his career has been the publication of one of his paintings on the cover of Christie’s Auction Catalogue.
CV
Selected exhibitions:
2014
Morphous, solo exhibition and installation, Circa, Johannesburg
Cumulus, solo exhibition, Rook & Raven, London
2013
Art Miami Fair, featured artist, Cynthia Reeves, Miami IS Sculpture, solo exhibition, IsArt, Tokara, Stellenbosch
Strarta Art Fair, Saatchi Gallery, Rook & Raven, London
Fragmented, solo exhibition, Rook & Raven, London 100 Accumulation, solo exhibition, Everard Read, Johannesburg BP Portrait Award Exhibition, Viewer’s Choice Award , National Portrait Gallery, London Wonder Works Exhibition, The Cat Street Gallery, Hong Kong
Metal Work Public sculpture, Stellenbosch
2012 Compendium, solo exhibition, 34FineArt, Cape Town Accumulation of Disorder, installation, University of Stellenbosch Gallery, Stellenbosch Strata, solo exhibition, Rook and Raven, London Winter Exhibition, Everard Read, Johannesburg Robert Bowman Gallery, India Art Fair, India Jhb Art Fair, Everard Read
2011 Surface, solo exhibition, Artspace, Johannesburg 34FineArt, ArtMonaco ‘11, Monaco MOMAC, group exhibition, Roberta Moore Fine Art, England
2010 Out of the Office, group exhibition, Kunstmuseum Bochum, Germany Cynthia Reeves Projects, Art Miami, USA We are not Witches, Saatchi Gallery, London Submerge, solo exhibition, 34FineArt, Cape Town
2009 F.A.C.E.T., Charity Auction, Christie’s, London Relate, solo exhibition, Grande Provence, Franschhoek
Qualifications and awards:
2013 Visitor's Choice Award, PB Portrait Award, National Portrait Gallery, London 2013 Ministerial Award from Department of Culture for Visual Art, Western Cape Government 2009 Merit Award, Vuleka, Sanlam Art Competition, Cape Town 2008 Achievement Award, Pro Arte School of Arts 2000 First prize in the MTN Art Colours Awards of Gauteng 1999/2000 Best painting student Pro Arte School of Arts
Catalogues:
Cumulus LIONEL SMIT, Rook & Raven, London 2014
Formulation LIONEL SMIT, Tokara, Stellenbosch 2013
Accumulation LIONEL SMIT, Everard Read, Johannesburg 2013 Strata LIONEL SMIT, Rook & Raven, London, 2012 Surface LIONEL SMIT, Artspace, Johannesburg 2011 We are not Witches, Saatchi Gallery, London 2011 Submerge LIONEL SMIT, 34FineArt, October 2010 Christie’s, F.A.C.E.T (catalogue cover), October 2009 Residue, Grande Provence Gallery, October 2009 Group therapy, Sandton Civic Gallery, 2005 Pretoria, Everard Read Gallery, November 2004