Richard Smith CBE (English, 1931-2016)

Richard Smith was regarded as one of his generation's most important artists. He distinguished himself from the Pop Art movement of the 1960s by fusing the slick and vibrant imagery found in the commercial landscape with a diverse abstract visual language that was uniquely his. He studied at the Royal College of Art alongside artists such as Peter Blake and Robyn Denny in the 1950s. Richard Smith gained recognition for pushing the boundaries of painting into three dimensions, producing large-scale sculptural canvases that physically intruded into gallery spaces.  

Smith was hugely successful in his artistic career. He was awarded the Grand Prize at the 9th Sao Paulo Biennial in 1967, and held important exhibitions at Kasmin Gallery (1963), Tate (1964) and Richard Feigen Gallery (1966). In 1970, Smith was invited to exhibit at the XXXV Venice Biennale as the official British artist. Smith was awarded the CBE in 1971.