Become a My Ocula member for exclusive access to contemporary art and personalised artist recommendations.
Join Us Sign In
The Art World in Focus
Clear
Josh Smith

JOSH SMITH

Destiny David Zwirner 13 September–1 November 2025 Los Angeles
Overview Artworks Location
Request Prices & Availability
Press Release

David Zwirner is pleased to present an exhibition of new paintings by Josh Smith at the gallery’s 606 N Western Avenue location in Los Angeles. This marks Smith’s first solo show in Los Angeles, and his first solo painting exhibition in the United States in five years.

In these paintings, Smith takes the Grim Reaper—a recurring figure in his work—and places him on a bicycle, riding through the streets of New York. Set against the city’s skyline, the reapers weave through traffic, emerge from subway stations, and dart past the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building. Rather than anonymous symbols of death, these reapers are folded into the chaos of the city. They look back. Their cloaks, layered in slashes and ribbons of color—sometimes heavy in black, other times edged in blues, purples, neon greens, or acidic oranges—function as both costume and surface.

Read More

Installation Views

Exhibition view: Josh Smith, Destiny, David Zwirner, Los Angeles (13 September–1 November 2025). Courtesy David Zwirner.
Exhibition view: Josh Smith, Destiny, David Zwirner, Los Angeles (13 September–1 November 2025). Courtesy David Zwirner.
Exhibition view: Josh Smith, Destiny, David Zwirner, Los Angeles (13 September–1 November 2025). Courtesy David Zwirner.
About the Artist

Josh Smith is a New York-based painter who also works with collage, sculpture, printmaking, and books. He first became known in the early 2000s for a series of canvases depicting his own name, a motif that allowed him to experiment freely with abstraction and figuration and the expressive possibilities of painting. His work has since given way to monochromes, gestural abstractions, and varied imagery, including leaves, fish, skeletons, sunsets, and palm trees that the artist has explored in series. Smith’s work engages in a celebratory and prolific process of experimentation and refinement—upending the conventions of painting while simultaneously commanding a deep awareness of its history.

View Artist Profile

Also Exhibiting at David Zwirner

All Exhibitions
Michaël Borremans
MICHAËL BORREMANS French Painting David Zwirner 5 June–22 July 2026 Paris
Steven Shearer
STEVEN SHEARER My Moody Muse David Zwirner 4 June–31 July 2026 London
Group Exhibition
GROUP EXHIBITION California Light and Space (The 21st Century Version) David Zwirner 4 June–1 August 2026 Los Angeles
Dan Flavin
DAN FLAVIN Grids David Zwirner 28 May–8 August 2026 Hong Kong
Address
612 North Western Avenue
Los Angeles
United States
Opening Hours
Tuesday – Saturday
10am – 6pm
(1)
Los Angeles 612 North Western Avenue
David Zwirner contemporary art gallery in Los Angeles United States
David Zwirner
612 North Western Avenue, Los Angeles, United States
+1 310 777 1993
http://www.davidzwirner.com

Opening hours
Tuesday – Saturday
10am – 6pm
Magazine Gallery Platform Advisory
Ocula Magazine

A respected voice in contemporary art discourse.

Focusing on ambitious storytelling and insightful art-world commentary. Ocula Magazine publishes in-depth interviews, critical essays and timely analysis on the artists, exhibitions and ideas driving the global art world.

 Learn more about Ocula Magazine Learn more about Ocula Magazine Ocula Gallery Platform

Showcasing the best of the art world.

Ocula partners with galleries from around the world to highlight their artists, artworks and exhibitions. Gallery membership is by application and invitation, with each member vetted by an independent panel.

 Learn more about Ocula Membership Learn more about Ocula Membership Ocula Advisory

Specialises in the sale of major artworks.

Led by a team with deep ties to the world’s leading auction houses, galleries and collectors. Ocula’s advisory team offers bespoke services to high-net-worth clients from around the world who are looking to acquire the best of contemporary and modern art.

 Learn more about our team and services Learn more about Ocula Advisory
The art world in focus