Richard Smith
"Avedisiane" by Richard Smith



We would like to invite you to a special event honoring the life and career of British artist Richard Smith 
 
Saturday, July 2 from 1:00-5:00 PM
Patchogue Arts Gallery, 20 Terry St., Patchogue
Free and all are welcome to attend  

  A world-renowned artist, Smith had a long, prosperous career with solo exhibitions at the Tate Gallery (1975), the Jewish Museum (1968), and the Whitechapel Gallery (1966), among many others. He represented Britain in the Venice Biennale (1966, 1970), as well as the S�o Paulo Biennale (1968), where he took the grand prize. His artwork is in the public collections of many esteemed art institutions including the British Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, and Metropolitan Museum of Art. 
 
The one-day event will feature a selection of artwork from Richard's 60-year oeuvre. Remembrances will be held at 4:00 PM for anyone who wishes to share stories and memories of the artist. 

Richard Smith_ Photo by Pat Sweeney
Photo by Pat Sweeney
Richard Smith was born in Letchworth, Hertfordshire, in 1931 and studied art at the Luton School of Art (1948 - 1950), St. Albans School of Art (1952 - 1954), and the Royal College of Art (1954 -1957). Despite his formalist ideals, the artist often drew inspiration from mass produced media and popular imagery as seen in commercial packaging and advertising. A recipient of the prestigious Harkness Fellowship, Smith traveled to America for the first time in 1959. In the early 1960s, he moved away from the traditional rectangular canvas, extending his paintings into three-dimensional space. In the early 1970s, Smith moved away from the conventional stretcher bars, opting to fasten his canvases to structures of aluminum tubing. These 'kite paintings', as they became known, allowed the artist to further explore the boundaries of the painted surface.

Smith split his time between Britain and America during the 1960s and 1970s, settling permanently in New York in 1978. Richard left the city and relocated to Patchogue in the late 1990s, where he continued to produce innovative works of art that were exhibited globally as well as locally. Smith participated in the first Patchogue Arts Biennial in 2009 and was honored in the inaugural exhibit of the Patchogue Arts Gallery with a solo exhibition in 2012. Most recently, Smith's work was included in the 2015 PAC MAC Festival.

Richard Smith passed away in April 2016 and will be missed by many in the Patchogue community and around the world. Please join us as we celebrate Richard at the Patchogue Arts Gallery on July 2.

Creatively yours,
The Patchogue Arts Council Board of Trustees





The mission of the Patchogue Arts Council is to promote, support, and encourage the arts. The Patchogue Arts Council is a 501(c)(3) not-for profit organization. Thank you for your continued support.


Patchogue Arts Council | 20 Terry St., Suite 116, Patchogue, NY 11772 | 631-627-8686 |  [email protected] | PatchogueArts.org

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