DANNY SIMMONS

For over four decades, Danny Simmons (b. 1953) has created paintings, works on paper, and assemblages informed by the spirit imbued in indigenous and African cultures. As the founder of the artistic movement Neo-African Abstract Expressionism, Simmons reclaims traditional African motifs used in modernism through his use of dots, textiles, and tribal markings. Simmons is an author, poet, philanthropist, curator, co-creator of Def Poetry Jam, and co-founder of the renowned Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation. Through the non-profit organization, Rush Arts Gallery NYC and Rush Arts Philadelphia have served as important cultural hubs providing exhibitions, arts education and opportunities for hundreds of emerging, developing and underrepresented artists of color since 1995. Simmons is also a collector of contemporary art and African sculpture.

 

Simmons’ artworks are in multiple private and museum collections including the Brooklyn Museum, Houston Museum of African American Culture, Montclair Art Museum, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art, The Smithsonian, Chase Manhattan Bank and the United Nations. In 2024, the Reginald F. Lewis Museum in Baltimore, MD presented “The Journey to Everything,” a sweeping solo exhibition of Simmons’ work. This year, “The Journey to Everything” will travel to the Houston Museum of African American Culture and is scheduled to open on August 29th. In 2026, The Butler Institute of American Art will present a solo exhibition of Simmons’ prints from February 1st through April 4th.

 

Danny Simmons is represented by Westwood Gallery, NYC.