About David
Richard Smyth

The first time I met David Smyth was at the bar of the Odeon Restaurant in Tribeca, the iconic 1980s watering hole made famous in Jay McInerney’s novel Bright Lights, Big City. By the 1990s, it had shed its somewhat infamous past to become a place where local artists, actors, designers, creative wannabes and European tourists gathered in the evening. Because my wife was getting her MBA in the evening down the street at NYU, the Odeon had become a second home of sorts and it wasn’t long before I noticed David holding court at one end of the bar surrounded by local artists, friends and a bevy of attractive women. David exuded intelligence, charm and self-confidence and it wasn’t long before we started talking — I recall initially confusing his name with the sculptor David Smith although I don’t think I ever told him.

Since there seemed to be a “maestro,” “genius” or “wunderkind” on every street corner in Tribeca, it was hard to tell if David was the real thing or just a very cool guy who talked a good game. It wasn’t until weeks later when we had sufficiently checked each other out that he invited me up to his loft a few blocks away on Murray Street and I got to experience firsthand the measure of his talent. I remember walking into his loft and having a powerful visceral reaction. There on every wall were paintings of such conceptual originality, vibrant color and masterful technique that I was overwhelmed. Even though I was a composer, I could tell immediately that I had stumbled upon something extraordinary.

One painting in particular stood out. It was entitled Bad Boys and incorporated found items that David had collected from the Lower East Side including cut-off jeans, rope, discarded targets from a next door shooting gallery and numerous other jetsam and flotsam. It was a visual representation of an urban archaeology that in so many ways perfectly captured the so-called “New York State of Mind;” a work both literal and metaphorical that, like the city itself, assaulted you with its grittiness while seducing you with its beauty. I’m happy to say that it hangs in my house along with numerous other works of his. But that was only one of an endless series of ingenious works that seemed to flow from his head and hands; works of dazzling design and unique mediums e.g. a series of lead pieces that were miniature worlds unto themselves but when viewed in multiples created a universe; sculptures bearing homage to Arte Provera combined incongruous forms and elements to create something that was both familiar and totally unique.

“One of the most amazing things about David’s work is that there is no mistaking it for anyone else’s”

Robert S. Cohen

As our friendship grew, David expanded my appreciation of the visual arts. When he moved to Austria, I made a point of visiting him at least once a year and he did the same. During these visits we often took side trips to other European cities where we explored the latest art, culture and food — David is also a very fine cook. But mostly it was a chance to hang out, play tennis, share ideas and see the recent photographs, paintings, collages and sculptures from one of the most prolific artists I have ever met. The range of his abilities and vision are inestimable. His integration of text, numbers and music into his works meld the literary with the visual and auditory providing the viewer with layer upon layer of associations and meaning. In one of his works, an endlessly expanding collection of everyday objects painted with red and white stripes like a carnival tent become an installation that speaks of joy, humor and childlike fantasy.

David is foremost an abstract artist who is able to integrate other styles into his work in ways that seem totally fresh and meaningful. In a recent painting he channels what could be one of Matisse’s garden views through a grid of abstraction that at once captures the longing for memories and the fascination of that which lies beyond our reach. One of the most amazing things about David’s work is that there is no mistaking it for anyone else’s.

Unlike so many other artists, he continually expands his creative palette, not being satisfied to just repeat with slight variations design, technique and medium. More importantly, he is a compassionate and understanding individual who considers the process of creation to be the key to living the life of an artist where joy and meaning come from within and not without. He has been an inspiration to me and I am fortunate to be one of his best friends. More importantly, as a tennis instructor, he has significantly improved my backhand.