Rhodes Contemporary Art presents Nick Smith: Pinched



"The theft of the Mona Lisa in the early 1900s from the Louvre is commonly regarded as the first great art heist of the 20th century. This incident saw the dramatic elevation of the artwork in the popular consciousness, creating the phenomena that surrounds it today. Since then there has been a wealth of stories behind such heists as galleries and private collections. Pinched examines these often surprising, always colourful heists and explores the absence of these works within art history and cultural identity."

Nick Smith is back in town showcasing twenty new mixed medium artworks and screen prints at Rhodes Contemporary Art (formerly the Lawrence Alkin Gallery). I'm a big fan of Nick's work (Kanye is fully paid for) and this is my first chance to visit the gallery following the change of management so I'm really looking forward to stopping by after work.



Following his 'condiments and commandments' show Psalms at Nelly Duff in November, and having recently produced a limited run of Nike AM90 Infrared prints for #airmaxday, Nick returns to the more serious business of deconstructing highly recognisable fine art and putting it back together one colour-chip at a time. 

In this body of work Nick explores the topic of art theft, and following extensive research collected from media archives, crime reports, CCTV and police statements he's tackled the most wanted list of the twentieth century’s biggest art heists. 


“Each piece lost represents a partial loss of our heritage and art history. My fascination is not with the images themselves, but the stories behind the thefts. What is the motivation? And how does the theft influence the artwork’s place in our current cultural landscape?” - Nick Smith
More info can be found on the gallery website HERE and the show runs until June 1st giving you plenty of time to make it across in case the heavens open tonight or you're watching the Arsenal game.

-Bossman75