Sir Matthew Smith
(1879-1959), PainterSitter in 6 portraits
Artist of 4 portraits
Painter of nudes, landscapes and still-life. Smith was born into an affluent family in Halifax, and was expected to join the family business manufacturing wire. He chose instead to study design at the Municipal School of Technology, Manchester. From 1905, Smith attended the Slade School of Fine Art in London, one of the most progressive art schools of the day, and from 1910 he studied in Paris. Although Smith spent much of his life in France, where his work was influenced by Matisse and the post-Impressionists, he evolved a distinctive, vigorous style recognisably his own. His achievements were recognised with a retrospective exhibition at the Tate Gallery in 1953 and a knighthood the following year.
by Cathleen Sabine Mann
oil on canvas, 1952
NPG 4161
by Cecil Beaton
bromide print on white card mount, circa 1942
NPG x14211
by Lola Walker (Lola Marsden)
vintage bromide print, 6 April 1951
NPG x125622
by Lola Walker (Lola Marsden)
vintage bromide print, 6 April 1951
NPG x125623
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