Artist's Biography

Danny Simmons, Jr., is an American abstract painter from Queens, NY, who once coined his particular style of painting as “neo-African Abstract Expressionism.” His talent and passion for the arts reaches beyond the canvas; he is a published author, poet, painter and art philanthropist.

Simmons’ visual artworks are held in numerous public collections including The Smithsonian, the United Nations, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, the Brooklyn Museum, Chase Manhattan Bank, Deutsche Bank, Schomburg Center for Black Culture. His works are included in private collections, including of the music industry executive/producer Lyor Cohen, film director/producer Stan Lathan, musical producer Andre Harrell, actor Ron Perlman, renowned businessman Olivier Sarkozy, actress Annabella Sciorra, actor Will Smith, and many others.

In addition to Simmons’ visual art work, he is also an accomplished author and poet, including of the critically acclaimed 'Three Days as the Crow Flies', 'I Dreamed My People Were Calling But I Couldn’t Find My Way Home', and 'Deep in Your Best Reflection'. Danny Simmons’ love for poetry was the basis of his conceiving and co-producing of the hit HBO show Def Poetry Jam and it’s Broadway version which earned Simmons a Tony Award.

Simmons is co-founder, along with his siblings, music mogul Russell, and hip hop legend Joseph Simmons aka “Rev Run”, and president of the Rush Arts Gallery. He is also founder and VP of the Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation, and former board member of the Brooklyn Museum, the Brooklyn Public Library, the New York Foundation for the Arts, and the National Conference of Artists. In 2015, he served as a scholarly consultant for the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) in Washington, DC.

Danny Simmons holds a Bachelor’s degree in social work from New York University, a Masters in public finance from Long Island University, and is the recipient of an honorary PhD from Long Island University. He continues to thrive at his ‘home gallery’ in Northern Liberties, Philadelphia, PA.