BORN: Derbyshire, England. Lived in  Bahamas 1973-1990; Moved to U.S in 1990, currently lives in Los Angeles, CA.

 

   STUDIED: Derby College of Art, Derby, England (now University of Derby) 1959-64; Hornsey College of Art, London, England (now  Middlesex University) 1964-       65 (Post-Grad)    

 

   SOLO EXHIBITIONS:

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 2024 THE TROPHY ROOM LA, Los Angeles, CA. 'LA BOUND: Los Angeles paintings from the 1990's'.

   2021    VITA ART CENTER, Ventura, CA. 'Drawings: American Homes' 

   2020   709 N. Ridgewood Place, Los Angeles, CA. 'Pictures from America'.       

   2015    D’AGUILLAR ART FOUNDATION, Nassau, Bahamas. 'Headlines'.         

   2011     CENTRAL BANK OF THE BAHAMAS ART GALLERY. 'Nassau Revisited: Paintings'.        

   2011     POPOPSTUDIOS, Nassau, Bahamas. 'Marquees'  (Photographs of Nassau Drive-In Marquees).

   2008   NATIONAL ART GALLERY OF THE BAHAMAS. 'Twist of Fate: Paintings 1975-1989' (Curated by Erica Moiah James).

   2003   GALLERY 478,  San Pedro, CA. 

   1995    CROSSING GALLERY, Los Angeles, CA.

   1992    UNIVERSITY ART GALLERY, University of California, Riverside, CA. 'Emerging Artists Series'.

   1990    COLLEGE OF THE BAHAMAS. 'Dave Smith: Paintings 1980-1990'.

   1990    ARTIST’S GALLERY. Nassau, Bahamas. 'Calypso Skies'.

   1987    TEMPLE GALLERY, Nassau, Bahamas. 'Hot, Hot, Hot'.

   1986    TEMPLE GALLERY, Nassau, Bahamas. 'Transition in Paradise'.

   1984    GALLERY OF 24, Miami, FL.

   1984    TEMPLE GALLERY, Nassau, Bahamas. 'Where the Eagle Flies'.

   1982    TEMPLE GALLERY, Nassau, Bahamas. 'In Colour and Black and White'.

   1981     INSTITUTE OF THE ARTS, Nassau, Bahamas. 'On the Edge of Town'.

     

   GROUP EXHIBITIONS:  (selected)

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​   2024    VITA ART CENTER, Ventura, CA.  'Collage' . 10 Contemporary S. California artists working in collage.

   2024   MEAD ART MUSEUM, Amherst College, MA.  'Tropical is Political'

   2023    MUSEO DE ARTE CONTEMPORANEO DE PUERTO RICO, San Juan, Puerto Rico. 'Tropical is Political'

   2022   AMERICAS SOCIETY, New York, NY, 'Tropical is Political'  (Curated by Marina Reyes Franco)

   2021    BRAND LIBRARY & ART CENTER, Glendale, CA.  '49th Annual Juried Works on Paper'

   2021    PRO GALLERY, University of The Bahamas. 'Masterminds'

   2021    JACK HOUSE GALLERY, Portsmouth, UK. 'Images of Los Angeles'  (Curated by Derek Boshier)

   2021    SHATTO GALLERY, Los Angeles, CA  'Urban Paradise'          

   2019    EASTSIDE INTERNATIONAL, 'Like There’s No Tomorrow'.  Los Angeles, CA.  

   2018    NATIONAL ART GALLERY OF THE BAHAMAS. NE9 Biennial: 'The Fruit & the Seed'. 

   2018    VITA ART CENTER, Ventura, CA. 'Little Britain'. Works by British expats living/working in CA.           

   2017    NATIONAL ART GALLERY OF THE BAHAMAS. 'Practices & Routes of Spirituality & Mysticism'.    

   2017    HALLE 14, Leipzig, Germany. Cuba & the Bahamas. 'Contemporary Art from the Caribbean'.

   2016    NATIONAL ART GALLERY OF THE BAHAMAS. NE8 Biennial.         

   2016    MUSEUM OF ART & HISTORY, Lancaster, CA. 'British Invasion'.           

   2015    GALERIE ERNST HILGER, Vienna, Austria. 'Nassau Calling: Art in the Bahamas'.            

   2015    WALLSPACE GALLERY, West Hollywood, CA. 'London Transplants'.

   2014    NATIONAL ART GALLERY OF THE BAHAMAS. NE7 Biennial: 'Antillean: An Ecology'.         

   2014    WEST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE, Los Angeles, CA. 'Slightly Salacious'. (Curated by Molly Barnes)            

   2014    BOYD/SATELLITE GALLERY, New Orleans, LA.  'Sputnik 2'           

   2013    WARSCHAW GALLERY, San Pedro, CA. Merwin Belin, Troy Cheney, Dave Smith.            

   2012    MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL.  'Master Artists of the Bahamas'.            

   2012    NATIONAL ART GALLERY OF THE BAHAMAS. NE6 Biennial: 'Kingdom Come'.            

   2011     WATERLOO CENTER FOR THE ARTS, Waterloo, Iowa. 'Master Artists of the Bahamas'.            

   2010    LOS ANGELES VALLEY COLLEGE, CA. 'No Laughing Matter: Art & Humor in S.California'.           

   2009   LOS ANGELES HARBOR COLLEGE, CA. 'Detourned: Merwin Belin & Dave Smith'. (Curated by Ron Linden).          

   2004   DON O’MELVENY GALLERY, Los Angeles, CA. 'In America Now' (Curated by Peter Frank).        

   2003   NATIONAL ART GALLERY OF THE BAHAMAS. Inaugural National Exhibition, 1973-2003.           

   2001    LOS ANGELES HARBOR COLLEGE, CA. Merwin Belin, Troy Cheney, Dave Smith.            

   1999    RUTH CHANDLER WLLMSN. GALLERY, Scripps College,Claremont, CA. 'Drawing the Line'.            

   1999    SUNYATA GALLERY, San Pedro, CA. 'Flowmaster: Merwin Belin, Troy Cheney, Dave Smith'.           

   1995    MUNICIPAL ART GALLERY, Los Angeles, CA. Los Angeles Juried Exhibition.            

   1995    AUSTIN MUSEUM OF ART, Austin, TX. 'New American Talent #11'.

   1994    AUSTIN MUSEUM OF ART, Austin, TX. 'New American Talent #10'          

   1992    ORLANDO GALLERY, Sherman Oaks, CA. Michael Vaughn, Tom Parker, Dave Smith.            

   1991     L.A. ARTCORE, Los Angeles, CA. 'Wall Works'.        

   1990    MUSEUM OF MODERN ART OF LATIN AMERICA, Washington DC. 'Inter-America Centennial'.           

   1988    O.K. SOUTH GALLERY, Miami, FL. 'Florida Invitational'. (Curated by Ethan Karp)          

   1987    GALLERY OF 24, Miami, FL. 'The Florida Show'.           

   1981     COLLEGE OF THE BAHAMAS. 'Independence Invitational'.     

   1981     CARIFESTA, Barbados. 'Living Images in the Sun'.          

   BIBLIOGRAPHY:

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   2022     Johanna Fateman, Tropical is Political, Goings On  About Town, The New Yorker, Nov. 14

   2022     Marina Reyes Franco, Tropical is Political: Caribbean Art Under the visitor Economy Regime. Americas Society.

   2022     Erica Moiah James, Love & Responsibility 2: The Dawn Davies Collection of Art.

   2019      Seph Rodney, An Exhibition in The Bahamas Crosses Boundaries & Borders. Hyperallergic Arts Magazine.

   2016      Erica Moiah James, Every N….r is a Star (1974) Reimagining Transatlantic Blackness from Post-Civil Rights U.S to the 

                   Postcolonial Caribbean. Black Camera. Indiana University Press.

   2015      Dave Smith, STOP. Self-published photographs of Los Angeles highway stenciled ’Stop’ signs.

   2013      30 Emerging  Caribbean Artists to Watch. ARC Magazine, (August issue).

   2012      Paul Gorman, Mr. Freedom - Tommy Roberts: British Design Hero. Adelita Ltd.

   2012      Erica M. James, Love & Responsibility: The Dawn Davies Collection, (Petrine Archer). 

   2011       Erica Moiah James, Master Artists of the Bahamas. (Catalog). Waterloo Center for the Arts, Iowa.

   2007     Dave Smith, Marquees of Nassau. Self-published photographs of Nassau drive-in theatre marquees. 

   2008     Erica Moiah James, Dave Smith: Twist of Fate, Exhibition Catalog, Ntnl. Art Gallery of the Bahamas.

   2008     Artists of the Bahamas, Feature documentary, Produced & Directed by Karen Arthur & Thomas Neuwirth (Island Films Ltd.) 

   2006     Krista Thompson, An Eye for the Tropics. Duke University Press. (Pages 288-89; Plate 29).

   2003     Erica Moiah James, Inaugural National Exhibition Catalog, National Art Gallery of the Bahamas.

   2002     Ian Gregory Strachan, Paradise & Plantation. University of Virginia Press. (Book cover art).

   1999      Kathy Zimmerer, Flowmaster, ARTScene, (review, April, Vol. 18 #8).

   1995      Susan Kandell, RV Lifestyle, Los Angeles Times (review, March 24).

   1992      Patricia Glinton, Charles Huggins, Basil Smith, Bahamian Art 1492-1992. (FINCO Bahamas).

   1988      Elisa Turner, ARTnews (review, October, Vol. 87).

   1988      Elisa Turner,  At the Galleries, Miami Herald, FL. (review, June 23).

 

   COLLECTIONS: (Selected)

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  Frederick R. Weisman Foundation, Los Angeles, CA;

  Museo de Arte Contemporaneo de Puerto Rico, San Juan, PR.

  Atlantis Resorts, Paradise Island, Bahamas.

  Baha Mar Resort, Nassau, Bahamas.

  Central Bank of the Bahamas.  

  Colden, McKuin & Frankel, Beverley Hills, CA.

  D’Aguilar Art Foundation, Nassau, Bahamas.

  Dawn Davies Collection, Nassau, Bahamas.

  National Art Gallery of the Bahamas.

  University of the Bahamas.

  William E. Simon & Sons, Los Angeles, CA.