David Schmitt
David Schmitt (b. 1994, Bamberg, Germany) is a self-taught painter and printmaker based in Barcelona. After studying Graphic Design at the University of Applied Sciences in Augsburg, he moved to Spain, where he now lives and works. Schmitt’s practice sits somewhere between folk imagery and urban street culture, bringing together bold compositions with a wry, playful edge. Working on burlap canvas mixed with sand, and using a palette of soft, neutral tones, his paintings have a raw, almost makeshift quality that offsets their pop-driven motifs. Image and text are held in careful balance, giving the works the immediacy of a book cover or poster.
His recent body of work explores ideas of love, value and human connection, drawing on storytelling traditions that feel both ancient and contemporary.
“I have always been drawn to storytelling in painting,” Schmitt reflects. “I think of it as a crossover between folk, pop and cave art — something deeply human. There is so much beauty in traditional craftsmanship and old tales of folklore. Preserving the involvement of the human hand and mind, with all its imperfections, means preserving the soul in the world that surrounds us.”
— David Schmitt, 2025
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