PRESS RELEASE
LIONEL SMIT | Solo Exhibition
May 15 – Jun 13, 2026
LIONEL SMIT | Solo Exhibition
15 May - 13 June 2026
Everard Read London presents an exhibition of new paintings and bronze sculpture by celebrated South African artist, Lionel Smit.
Best known for his contemporary portraiture, Smit’s art is defined by a profound and ongoing dialogue between painting and sculpture. He grew up in an artistic milieu and his father’s sculpture studio played a central role in his childhood. Smit explains further, “I started with clay – so that’s my reference point.… And that’s the way I approach painting. I approach it like sculpture, adding pieces until the image emerges.”
For Smit, the human face is a boundless source of study, and his work accentuates facial characteristics through bold swathes of paint and brush techniques, highly-textured bronzes and vivid patinas.
In this new body of work, Smit continues to explore portraiture and themes of identity, but with a deliberately restrained palette. The subjects of his portraits exude strength and dignity; some have a meditative quality while others evoke a sense of vulnerability conveyed by the sitter’s averted gaze or contemplative expression.
Smit’s work has been the subject of numerous solo exhibitions from London to Miami, New York and Hong Kong. His work has been exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery in London receiving the Visitors' Choice - BP Portrait Award in 2013.
For more information, please contact: info@everardlondon.com, +44 (0)207 590 9991 www.everardlondon.com | @everard_read_london
