A Hug From The Art World

About the Presentation
A Hug From The Art World’s relationship with Guy Richards Smit began when its founder, Adam Cohen, was gifted a drawing by Smit of the gallery’s 19th Street space, commissioned by his wife, Michelle. An appreciation for Smit’s incisive humor towards the art world quickly blossomed. Taken by the presence of Smit’s larger works on canvas, Cohen set about organizing an exhibition, with the gallery’s debut at Independent as the ideal setting.

Guy Richards Smit’s art traverses a wide range of cultural forms to explore themes of narcissism, desire, power and failure. Preferring to insinuate himself into genres rather than appropriate work, he spent two years submitting his own gag-cartoons to The New Yorker. The storied magazine began publishing his cartoons in February of 2022. An anthology of Smit’s cartoons for the publications Hyperallergic, Artnet and The New Yorker is forthcoming from Hunter’s Point Press.