Mark T. Smith
Mark T. Smith dedicated his 20s to establishing what would become his signature look; an integral approach to art that fused the best elements of post-modernism with the best elements of modernism. The result is gravity-defying work that explodes with color, passion and seemingly effort workmanship.
From the age of 18 until a few years ago, Smith called the changing streets of Brooklyn and Manhattan home. In that time, he made a living as a fine artist, securing at the age of 22 his first major commission with Walt Disney Company. The project involved the creation of a poster for national distribution announcing the 19 th birthday celebration of Walt Disney World, and it introduced Smith’s energetic, active style to the public. By 26, he had landed and secured his own national Absolut™ Vodka campaign, Absolut™ Smith, and after that his reputation began to cement itself in the crowded and frantic New York art scene. Throughout the rest of his 20s, commissions followed by the likes of MTV, Pepsi, AT&T, HarperCollins, Coors Brewing, Budweiser, VH-1 and many more.
In the years since then, Mark T. Smith has moved from corporate patrons to private ones, so that today commercial commissions make up less than 10% of the artist’s total creative output. Smith has had 13 major solo exhibitions and 19 group exhibitions in a half-dozen states and the United Arab Emirates, and his artwork has been displayed everywhere from museums, galleries, to the walls of discerning collectors and the collections of celebrities like Jay Leno, Neil Diamond and Elton John.
But the soul of the New York art scene seemed to atrophy as the 90s wore on, and in 2003 Mr. Smith said goodbye to New York and relocated to the up-and-coming Miami to contribute to the new, vibrant and authentic art scene in that city.
Since his move, Smith has participated twice in the prestigious Art Basel, had numerous solo art exhibitions, and conceived a project entitled “Miami Moderns”. This project captures the evolution of Miami by focusing on portraits of the City’s most influential and notable residents who are helping to transform the city into a cutting edge cultural and business epicenter.
Some of Mr. Smith’s more interesting recent work includes two life-sized cows from the New York City Cow Parade in 2000, both of which went to private collectors. A pair of hand-painted PT Cruisers was commissioned by Daimler-Chrysler in 2002, one driven across the country and the other exhibited at the Cannes Film Festival as part of a worldwide promotional tour. One was auctioned for the charity Operation Smile to a private collector and the other is in the Walter P. Chrysler Museum’s permanent collection in Michigan.
Mr. Smith graduated from Pratt Institute in 1990 and, in his words, has “never looked back,” which shows in the clear evolution of his work and subject matter. A prolific artist, he has many hundreds of completed paintings and is constantly pushing himself to allow his style to evolve to better reflect himself and the culture in which he lives.
ARTWORK
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Study for NOLA Elephant
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NOLA Elephant
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Reincarnation
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Charisma
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NOLA Reincarnation
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Blue Horseman
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Blue Goddess
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Chaos Dog Head
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Moonlight
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Double Dragon
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A Boy's Dream
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Bull Production Drawing
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Magnetic
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Bird Brain
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Dog Headed Dragon
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Viva la Revolution
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Ghost Rabbit
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Gold Horse
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New Math-Bull
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Night Life Rabbit, Day Life Rabbit
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Trojan Horse
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White Horse
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XXX Bull
