Jack Smith (18 June 1928 – 11 June 2011) was a British realist and, later, abstract artist.[2]
Jack Smith | |
|---|---|
| Born | 18 June 1928 |
| Died | 11 June 2011 (aged 82) |
| Nationality | British |
| Education | Sheffield College of Art, Saint Martin's School of Art, Royal College of Art |
| Known for | painting |
| Movement | Neo-realism, Abstract art |
Life
editJack Smith was born in 1928 in Sheffield, Yorkshire.
Smith studied at Sheffield College of Art (1944–1946), Saint Martin's School of Art (1948–1950) and the Royal College of Art (1950–1953).[3] At the RCA, Smith studied under John Minton, Ruskin Spear and Carel Weight.[4]
Work
editDuring the 1950s, Smith's early work was in a neo-realist style known as "The Kitchen Sink School" featuring domestic subjects.
In the 1960s, Smith abandoned realism and adopted a brightly coloured, abstract style comparable to those of Wassily Kandinsky and Piet Mondrian incorporating Constructivism and Biomorphism with elements of hieroglyphic and musical notation.[5] Smith continued to develop and work in this style and did not return to realism.
Recognition
edit- First prize at the first John Moores Liverpool Exhibition (1956) [6]
- Shown at Venice Biennale (1956)
- Retrospective at the Whitechapel Art Gallery (1959)[7]
- National Prize at Guggenheim International Awards
- Touring Retrospective organised by Sunderland Arts Centre (1977)
- 80th Birthday Retrospective at the Flowers East gallery (2008)[3]
- The National Portrait Gallery, London held an exhibition of his work, 'Jack Smith: Abstract Portraits' (2015) [8] and holds several portraits of him in its collection.[9]
References
edit- ^ "Obituaries - Jack Smith: Painter who rejected his work as part of the 'Kitchen Sink School' in favour of abstraction". The Independent. 23 June 2011. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
- ^ "Jack Smith obituary". The Guardian. 17 June 2011. Archived from the original on 30 October 2022.
- ^ a b Flowers London: Jack Smith Retrospective Catalogue, ISBN 978-1-906412-12-8
- ^ Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery: Biography for Jack Smith
- ^ British Council: Jack Smith Archived 2009-02-19 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ John Moores Prize Archived 2009-10-15 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Tate Collection: Jack Smith Biography
- ^ "Jack Smith: Abstract Portraits". National Portrait Gallery, London. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
- ^ "Jack Smith - Person - National Portrait Gallery". National Portrait Gallery. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
External links
edit- 56 artworks by or after Jack Smith at the Art UK site
- Works in the Tate collection
- 80th Birthday Retrospective
- Obituary of Jack Smith, The Daily Telegraph, 20 June, 2011
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