BRITISH COLUMBIA ARTISTS |
He was on a list titled "Leading Vancouver Artists," provided to the Labour Arts Guild on April 10, 1946 by the Vancouver Art Gallery to assist in the Guild's call for entries to the second annual B.C. At Work exhibition.
Smith exhibited his work in the 1947 B.C. Artists Summer Exhibition and the 1948 Stanley Park in Pictures exhibition, both at the Vancouver Art Gallery. He also exhibited work in the regular B.C. Artists exhibitions in 1944 to 1948, 1950 to 1955, 1962, 1963, 1965 and 1966.
He exhibited with the B.C. Society of Fine Arts from 1944 to 1967. He designed the cover image for the 40th Annual exhibition catalogue in 1950. He was Honorary Secretary for the group in 1952, and Vice-President in 1957.
He submitted four works to the 1949 B.C. Graphic exhibition at the Vancouver Art Gallery, three of them were selected for the exhibition.
In 1964 he had work in the RCA's 84th Annual exhibition, held at the National Gallery of Canada and the London, Ontario Art Museum.
Smith continued to be a major Vancouver artist until his death at home in 2020, with many major solo exhibitions at public and private galleries.
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
DATE | EXHIBITION | LOCATION |
1944 Feb. 8 - 27 | 21 Watercolours | VAG |
1947 June 10 - 29 | Paintings & Sketches | VAG |
DATE | EXHIBITION | ARTWORK |
1944 May 13 - June 4 | BCSFA 34th Annual | Poles and Potlatch |
1944 July 4 - Aug. 30 | VAG B.C. Artists 3rd Annual Summer | Poles and Potlatch |
1944 Sept. 23 - Oct. 22 | VAG B.C. Artists 13th Annual | Tsawwassan |
Oolichan Fishing | ||
1945 May 18 - June 10 | BCSFA 35th Annual | Summer Stillness |
1945 July 3 - Aug. 26 | VAG B.C. Artists 4th Annual Summer | Summer Stillness |
1945 Sept. 22 - Oct. 21 | VAG B.C. Artists 14th Annual | August, 1945 |
1946 May 31 - June 23 | BCSFA 36th Annual | Howe Sound |
1946 July 2 - 28 | VAG Jubilee Exhibition | Street Scene, Vancouver |
1946 Sept. 21 - Oct. 13 | VAG B.C. Artists 15th Annual | Kulleet Bay Indian Reserve |
1946 ? - ? | VAG Selections from 15th BCA | Kulleet Bay Indian Reserve |
1947 May 9 - June 1 | BCSFA 37th Annual | Freight Yards |
1947 July 8 - 27 | VAG B.C. Artists Summer Exhibition | Desolation |
1947 Sept. 20 - Oct. 12 | VAG B.C. Artists 16th Annual | Point Atkinson Lighthouse |
1948 May 18 -June 6 | BCSFA 38th Annual | Gwayasdums, Guilford Island |
Fishing Boats | ||
1948 July 27 - Aug. 15 | VAG Stanley Park in Pictures | Spring in the Park |
1948 Sept. 18 - Oct. 10 | VAG B.C. Artists 17th Annual | The Ironer (drypoint) |
1949 May 3 - 22 | BCSFA 39th Annual | Swamp Lanterns |
1949 Nov. 22 - Dec. 11 | VAG First B.C. Graphic | Nature Forms |
Rock Forms | ||
Abstraction #1 (rejected) | ||
Abstraction #2 | ||
1950 April 25 - May 14 | BCSA 40th Annual | Freight Yard |
Beach Forms | ||
1950 Nov. 28 - Dec. 17 | VAG B.C. Artists 19th Annual | Still Life |
1951 April 24 - May 13 | VAG BCSA 41st Annual | Smelt Fishing, Spanish Banks |
Letter Forms | ||
1951 Nov. 27 - Dec. 16 | VAG B.C. Artists 20th Annual | Abstraction with Raven |
1952 April 1 - 20 | VAG BCSA 42nd Annual | Melon and Lemon |
Beach Gossip | ||
1952 Oct. 21 - Nov. 16 | VAG B.C. Artists 21st Annual | Trees at Night |
Outer Wharf, Victoria B.C. | ||
1953 May 5 - 31 | VAG BCSA 43rd Annual | Markers, Spanish Banks |
Pruned Trees | ||
Trees at Night No. 2 | ||
1953 Sept. 15 - Oct. 4 | VAG B.C. Artists 22nd Annual | Birds at Night |
Abstraction in Black and Gold | ||
1954 May 25 - June 13 | VAG BCSA 44th Annual | Burrard Bridge |
Pruned Trees | ||
Trees | ||
1954 Sept. 21 - Oct. 10 | VAG B.C. Artists 23rd Annual | Round Rock |
After the Snow | ||
1955 April 26 - May 15 | VAG BCSA 45th Annual | Painting |
Kites | ||
1955 Sept. 20 - Oct. 9 | VAG B.C. Artists 24th Annual | Painting |
Woods in Winter | ||
1956 Feb. 28 - Mar. 18 | VAG BCSA 46th Annual | Untitled Painting |
1957 March 5 - 24 | VAG BCSA 47th Annual | Woods in Winter |
Rocks on the Shore | ||
1958 Feb. 4 - 22 | UBC BCSA 48th Annual | Painting |
1960 May 22 - June 12 | VAG BCSA 50th Annual | Remote Place |
Coast Range | ||
1962 May 8 - June 3 | VAG BCSA 52nd Annual | Summer Landscape |
1962 Oct. 17 - Nov. 4 | VAG B.C. Artists 31st Annual | Flower Piece |
1963 Dec. 4 - Jan. 12 | VAG B.C. Artists 32nd Annual | Painting |
1964 May 8 - June 3 | VAG BCSA 54th Annual | Night Form |
1965 March 31 - Aril 25 | VAG BCSA 55th Annual | Cluster |
1965 Dec. 1 - Jan. 2 | VAG B.C. Artists 34th Annual | Red Wizard |
1966 May 10 - June 5 | VAG BCSA 56th Annual | The Sorcerer |
1966 Nov. 30 - Jan. 8 | VAG B.C. Artists 35th Annual | Painting No. 1 |
1967 May 3 - 28 | VAG BCSA 57th Annual | Untitled |
100 YEARS OF B.C. ART (refer to VAG58)
B.C. PAINTINGS BURNABY 58 (refer to BAG58)
B.C. ARTISTS 27th ANNUAL (refer to BCA58)
7 WEST COAST PAINTERS (refer to VIF59)
ARTE CANADIENSE (refer to NGC60)
3rd BURNABY NATIONAL PRINT SHOW (refer to BAG65)
SOME PAINTERS OF THE B.C. MAINLAND (refer to AGGV66)
PAINTING '66 - VANCOUVER CENTENNIAL AWARD EXHIBITION (refer to BCA66)
4th BURNABY NATIONAL PRINT SHOW (refer to BAG67)
JOY AND CELEBRATION - VANCOUVER SUMMER 1967 (refer to UBC67)
WESTERN PRINTMAKERS (refer to WCAC67)
5th BURNABY NATIONAL PRINT SHOW (refer to BAG69)
B.C. ARTISTS' TRIBUTE TO COLIN GRAHAM (refer to AGGV74)
PAPERWORKS: Contemporary works on paper by BC artists (refer to AGGV78)
PRINTMAKING IN BRITISH COLUMBIA 1889-1983 (refer to AGGV83)
VANCOUVER: ART & ARTISTS 1931 - 1983 (refer to VAG83)
ARTROPOLIS 1990 (refer to ART90)
64 - 94 CONTEMPORARY DECADES (refer to ECU94)
ART UNLEASHED! (1997) (refer to ECU97)
GENERATIONS - FIVE DECADES OF ART IN WEST VANCOUVER 1912 - 1962 (refer to WVMA99)
A MODERN LIFE: Art and Design in British Columbia 1945-1960 (refer to VAG04)
RICHMOND ART GALLERY 25:25 - 1980-2005 (refer to RAG05)
VISIONS OF THE WEST COAST - ROBERT ALLER & HIS COMMUNITY (refer to UVIC05)
PAINT - A PSYCHEDELIC PRIMER (refer to VAG06)
OUR CHANGING LANDSCAPE (2008) (refer to BAG08)
VISIONS OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (refer to VAG09)
ON THE NATURE OF THINGS (refer to KaAG11)
SHORE, FOREST AND BEYOND - ART FROM THE AUDAIN COLLECTION (refer to VAG11)
COTTAGES TO COMMUNITIES (refer to WVHS11)
THE ORNAMENT OF A HOUSE - FIFTY YEARS OF COLLECTING (refer to BAG17)
88 ARTISTS FROM 88 YEARS (refer to ECU17)
MACLEAN'S MAGAZINE - B.C. CENTENNIAL ISSUE (refer to MAC58)
CREATIVE CANADA - Volumes One & Two (refer to CC71)
Includes 1-1/4 columns of information about Smith
PUBLIC ART IN VANCOUVER (refer to UBC72)
GORDON SMITH: 3 VIEWS by Joan Lowndes
artscanada, Issue 208/209, Oct./Nov. 1976, pages 48-50.
Review of Smith's 30 year retrospective exhibition at VAG.
2 works illustrated; includes footnotes.
FROM DESOLATION TO SPLENDOUR (refer to FDTS77)
THE SHELL CANADA COLLECTION (refer to SHEL77)
VISUAL ARTS BRITISH COLUMBIA (refer to VABC77)
ROYAL CANADIAN ACADEMY OF ARTS - EXHIBITIONS & MEMBERS 1880 - 1979 (refer to RCA81)
BRITISH COLUMBIA ART COLLECTION 1974-80 (refer to BCAC80)
ARTISTS IN CANADA 1982 - UNION LIST OF ARTISTS' FILES (refer to AIC82)
MONTREAL MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS - SPRING EXHIBITIONS 1880 - 1970 (refer to MM88)
THE ALMA MATER SOCIETY ART COLLECTION - University of British Columbia 1948 - 1988
No ISBN, 64 pages, illustrated in colour and b&w
Includes history of the collection, artist biographies
CARMANAH - ARTISTIC VISIONS OF AN ANCIENT RAINFOREST
1989, 168 pages; Western Canada Wilderness Committee; ISBN 0-9692230-5-6
100 B.C. artists participated including
LeRoy Jensen, Jack
Shadbolt, Gordon Smith
A CENTURY OF SCULPTURE (refer to SSBC98)
ART BC, MASTERWORKS FROM BRITISH COLUMBIA by Ian M. Thom
2000, Douglas & McIntyre Ltd., ISBN 1-55054-808-5
232 pages illustrated in colour and b&w
Includes 2 sections on Smith, 2 works illustrated in colour.
IT'S A MATTER OF PRINCIPLE (refer to It's A Matter Of Principle 2000)
THE CANADIAN ENCYCLOPEDIA (refer to CE00)
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (refer to EBC00)
BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX OF ARTISTS IN CANADA (refer to BIAC03)
16 references cited for Smith.
A DICTIONARY OF CANADIAN ARTISTS (refer to M)
4 pages of references to the artist.
THE FECKLESS COLLECTION (refer to FECK18)
GREATER VANCOUVER ART GALLERIES 1954-2020 (refer to GVAG20)
6 references to Smith.
VANCOUVER PUBLIC LIBRARY - B.C. ARTISTS FILES (refer to VPL)
"Other works which catch the eye are by W.P. Weston,
Beth (sic) Harris, Erich Loewe,
and Gordon A. Smith."
From "B.C. Art Exhibit Non-Experimental"
News Herald, May 12 1947
" ... Over two hundred entries had been received, which were narrowed down to eighty-nine
by the jury, (Lionel Thomas, Gordon Appelbe Smith,
and Illingworth Kerr) plus an imposing display of pottery,
clay models, wood carving and other handicrafts. ... During our brief history we have
had some of B.C.'s finest artists as speakers,
thanks to the Gallery, and during the past winter we have conducted our own art
class in the local high school, under Gordon Smith's direction ... a project
so successful we are faced with the necessity of enlarging it next season."
From "Letter re West Vancouver Sketch Club"
Personal correspondence, March 15 1948