Eric Smith (artist)
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Eric John Smith (born 1919) is an award winning Australian artist. Smith has won many of Australia's major art prizes multiple times including the Archibald Prize for portraiture three times; the Wynne Prize twice; the Sulman Prize three times; and the Blake Prize for Religious Art six times.
Smith was born and raised in Brunswick, Melbourne.[1] At the age of 17 Smith undertook the study of Commercial Art and Painting at the Brunswick Technical School and joined the Victorian Artists Society. In 1940 Smith joined the Australian Army for the remainder of the Second World War. Upon the end of the war, Smith returned to Melbourne and pursued his artistic ambitions. In 1945, a self portrait painted on an army canvass was runner up for the Archibald Prize.[1] In 1956 Smith had his work shown in the Macquarie Galleries, Sydney, during the "Direction" exhibition. The success of this exhibition led to Smith's work being included in the 1963 exhibition of Australian art shown at the Tate Gallery in London. Whilst in London in 1963, Smith gained further international recognition after winning the Helena Rubenstein Art Award.
Smith's winning 1981 portraiture of the Archibald Prize caused a controversy amongst the art world. In 1975 John Bloomfield winning entry was disqualified due to his portraiture of Tim Burstall being painted from a photograph. It is a condition of entry that all portraits be painted from life rather than interpretations of photographs.[2] Bloomfield asserted that Smith's portraiture of Rudy Komon resembled a photograph taken of the subject in 1974 and hence in breach of the competitions requirements. Bloomfield threatened legal action to prevent the prize being awarded to Smith. The controversy subsided when gallery director /art dealer Komon[3] came to the defense of Smith and said he had sat for Smith many times over the previous twenty-one years.[2]
[edit] Awards
- 1944 Australia at War, War on Land Prize
- 1948 Catholic Centenary Art Prize
- 1948 CRTS Shell Company Prize
- 1948 CRTS Norman Bros Prize
- 1950 Victorian Artists’ Society, ‘60 Drawings’ Herald Prize
- 1953 Berrima Art Prize (Mural)
- 1955 Contemporary Art Society
- 1955 Contemporary Art Society, Madach Prize
- 1955 Adelaide Advertiser Prize
- 1956 Bathurst Art Prize
- 1960 Journalists’ Club Prize
- 1962 Royal Art Society of New South Wales Easter Show Prize
- 1963 Helena Rubenstein Art Award
- 1965 Roy H. Taffs Contemporary Art Society Award
- 1967 Darcy Morris Memorial Prize
- 1969 Royal Art Society of New South Wales, Portrait Prize
- 1975 Muswellbrook Art Prize
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Charles Doutney |
Sulman Prize 1953 for Convicts Berrima 1839, Mural at Old Court House, Berrima |
Succeeded by Wallace Thornton |
| Preceded by Donald Friend |
Blake Prize for Religious Art 1956 for The Scourged Christ |
Succeeded by Elwynn Lynn |
| Preceded by Elwynn Lynn |
Blake Prize for Religious Art 1958 for The Moment Christ Died 1959 for Christ is Risen |
Succeeded by John Coburn |
| Preceded by Stanislaus Rapotec |
Blake Prize for Religious Art 1962 for Eucharistic Landscape |
Succeeded by Leonard French |
| Preceded by Roger Kemp |
Blake Prize for Religious Art 1969 for The Apostles Creed 1970 Co-winner with Roger Kemp for Christ's Flesh: Living, Suffering and Resurrected |
Succeeded by Desiderius Orban |
| Preceded by Ray Crooke |
Archibald Prize 1970 for Gruzman—Architect |
Succeeded by Clifton Pugh |
| Preceded by Margaret Woodward |
Wynne Prize 1972 for Falling Bark |
Succeeded by Clem Millwood |
| Preceded by Peter Powditch |
Sulman Prize 1973 for The Painter Transmogrified and Mrs. Smith |
Succeeded by Keith Looby |
| Preceded by Clem Millwood |
Wynne Prize 1974 for Redfern Landscape |
Succeeded by Robert Juniper |
| Preceded by Not awarded (Wes Walters, 1979) |
Archibald Prize 1981 for Rudy Komon 1982 for Peter Sculthorpe |
Succeeded by Nigel Thomson |
| Preceded by Guan Wei |
Sulman Prize 2003 for Reflection |
Succeeded by Allan Mitelman |
