The New York painter Josh Smith calls Peter Brant “the guy with the eye.” It’s an apt phrase for a well-known talent spotter and dealmaker who was in his 20s when he met Warhol and has since amassed one of the largest holdings of work by that Pop Art master. (Mr. Brant also owns Interview Magazine, which Warhol founded in 1969.)
But his holdings extend far beyond that, with dozens of examples of paintings, drawings, photographs and sculptures by art stars like Jean-Michel Basquiat, Jeff Koons and Cindy Sherman. Two years ago he opened the Brant Foundation Art Study Center, an appointment-only space in Greenwich, Conn.
Right now the place has been quietly taken over by Mr. Smith, who, with the help of Urs Fischer and Julian Schnabel — two artists who have shown there before — is getting ready for an exhibition of his paintings that opens there on May 7. The show will feature some canvases that Mr. Brant owns and some Mr. Smith is painting on site. “I am trying to work out of my comfort zone, making really large paintings — a few over 30 feet square — on canvas,” he said, speaking by telephone from the foundation. “I’m also taking advantage of the perfect light and huge open space that has ceilings 25 or 30 feet tall.”
Mr. Smith’s work is colorful and incorporates elements like abstract swirls and scribbles along with recognizable natural objects like fish and leaves. Some of his paintings feature his name written in different ways.