Guy Grey-Smith () was an Australian

painter Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ai ...

printmaker Printmaking is the process of creating work of art, artworks by printing, normally on paper, but also on fabric, wood, metal, and other surfaces. "Traditional printmaking" normally covers only the process of creating prints using a hand proce ...

and

ceramicist Ceramic art is art made from ceramic materials, including clay. It may take forms including artistic pottery, including tableware, tiles, figurines and other sculpture. As one of the plastic arts, ceramic art is one of the visual arts. Whi ...

. Grey-Smith pioneered

modernism Modernism is both a philosophy, philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western world, Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new fo ...

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

, and has been described as "one of Australia's most significant artists of the 20th century".

Biography

Early life

Guy Grey-Smith, the second son of Francis Edward Grey-Smith, station manager, and his wife Ada Janet (née King) was born in

Wagin, Western Australia Wagin is a town and shire in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, approximately south-east of Perth on the Great Southern Highway between Narrogin and Katanning. It is also on State Route 107. The main industries are wheat and sh ...

in 1916.

Military service

He joined the

Royal Australian Air Force "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

(RAAF) when he was 20 and trained as a pilot.Jenny Mills, 2007, "Grey-Smith, Guy Edward (1916–1981)" Australian Dictionary of Biography (online ed.)
(access: 11 October 2012). In 1937, he transferred to the British

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

(RAF) on a

Short Service Commission The Officers Training Academy (OTA) is a training establishment of the Indian Army that trains officers for the Short Service Commission (SSC). The 49-week course at the OTA prepares graduates for all branches of the Army, except for the Army Me ...

and moved to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. He married an Englishwoman, Helen Dorothy Stanes, at

Godmanchester Godmanchester ( ) is a town and civil parish in the Huntingdonshire district of Cambridgeshire, England. It is separated from Huntingdon, to the north, by the valley of the River Great Ouse. Being on the Roman road network, the town has a lo ...

on 19 October 1939. After the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, he served with No. 139 Squadron RAF, and flew

Bristol Blenheim The Bristol Blenheim is a British light bomber aircraft designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company (Bristol) which was used extensively in the first two years of the Second World War, with examples still being used as trainers until ...

bomber A bomber is a military combat aircraft designed to attack ground and naval targets by dropping air-to-ground weaponry (such as bombs), launching aerial torpedo, torpedoes, or deploying air-launched cruise missiles. The first use of bombs dropped ...

s during the

Battle of France The Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of French Third Rep ...

, with the rank of Flying Officer''"Bristol" BLENHEIM: The Journal of the Blenheim Society'', 2011, iss. 69 (March), p16. On 12 May 1940, the squadron was stationed at

Plivot Plivot () is a commune in the Marne department in northeastern France. From 1 December 1939 until 15 February 1940 No. 139 Squadron RAF was deployed to a local airfield nearby with Bristol Blenheim IV's as of the Second World War's RAF Advanc ...

and undertook a mission to attack

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

positions near

Maastricht Maastricht ( , , ; li, Mestreech ; french: Maestricht ; es, Mastrique ) is a city and a municipality in the southeastern Netherlands. It is the capital and largest city of the province of Limburg. Maastricht is located on both sides of the ...

and

Tongeren Tongeren (; french: Tongres ; german: Tongern ; li, Tóngere ) is a city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg, in the southeastern corner of the Flemish region of Belgium. Tongeren is the oldest town in Belgium, as the onl ...

, in the Netherlands. Grey-Smith's aircraft (''N6219'') was attacked by a

Messerschmitt Bf 109 The Messerschmitt Bf 109 is a German World War II fighter aircraft that was, along with the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, the backbone of the Luftwaffe's fighter force. The Bf 109 first saw operational service in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War an ...

fighter and caught fire. As he parachuted out of the stricken bomber, Grey-Smith was hit by the tailplane and received severe head injuries, but landed safely. He was captured and kept at

Stalag Luft III , partof = ''Luftwaffe'' , location = Sagan, Lower Silesia, Nazi Germany (now Żagań, Poland) , image = , caption = Model of the set used to film the movie ''The Great Escape.'' It depicts a smaller version of a single compound in ''Stalag ...

as a

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of wa ...

. During his time as POW, Grey-Smith began to explore an interest in art, with materials sent by his wife. He contracted

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

and, as a consequence, was

repatriate Repatriation is the process of returning a thing or a person to its country of origin or citizenship. The term may refer to non-human entities, such as converting a foreign currency into the currency of one's own country, as well as to the pro ...

d to the UK in 1944 for treatment, which included

art therapy Art therapy (not to be confused with ''arts therapy'', which includes other creative therapies such as drama therapy and music therapy) is a distinct discipline that incorporates creative methods of expression through visual art media. Art thera ...

Artistic career

In 1945, he began studying at the

Chelsea School of Art Chelsea College of Arts is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London based in London, United Kingdom, and is a leading British art and design institution with an international reputation. It offers further and higher educat ...

. Grey-Smith attended the school until 1947, learning from

Ceri Richards Ceri Giraldus Richards (6 June 1903 – 9 November 1971) was a Welsh painter, print-maker and maker of reliefs. Biography Richards was born in 1903 in the village of Dunvant, near Swansea, the son of Thomas Coslett Richards and Sarah Ri ...

Robert Medley Charles Robert Owen Medley CBE, RA, (19 December 1905 – 20 October 1994), also known as Robert Medley, was an English artist who painted in both abstract and figurative styles, and who also worked as theatre designer. He held several teachin ...

and

Henry Moore Henry Spencer Moore (30 July 1898 – 31 August 1986) was an English artist. He is best known for his semi- abstract monumental bronze sculptures which are located around the world as public works of art. As well as sculpture, Moore produced ...

. He and Helen returned to Western Australia and set up a

pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other ceramic materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. Major types include earthenware, stoneware and por ...

studio at their home in

Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. The River Skerne flows through the town; it is a tributary of the River Tees. The Tees itself flows south of the town. In the 19th century, Darlington underwen ...

. In 1952, his tuberculosis recurred, and upon recovery eight months later, he and Helen moved back to London. He studied

fresco Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaste ...

painting at the

Central School of Arts and Crafts The Central School of Art and Design was a public school of fine and applied arts in London, England. It offered foundation and degree level courses. It was established in 1896 by the London County Council as the Central School of Arts and Cr ...

under

Louis le Brocquy __NOTOC__ Louis le Brocquy ''HRHA'' (; 10 November 1916 – 25 April 2012) was an Irish painter born in Dublin to Albert and Sybil le Brocquy. His work received many accolades in a career that spanned some seventy years of creative practice ...

until 1954. Upon their return to Australia, Grey-Smith worked for the Education Department and Art Gallery before journeying across the

Nullarbor The Nullarbor Plain ( ; Latin: feminine of , 'no', and , 'tree') is part of the area of flat, almost treeless, arid or semi-arid country of southern Australia, located on the Great Australian Bight coast with the Great Victoria Desert to its ...

and to the north-west of Western Australia, which inspired his work. In 1966, Grey-Smith became inaugural president of the

Contemporary Art Society The Contemporary Art Society (CAS) is an independent charity that champions the collecting of outstanding contemporary art and craft for UK museum collections. Since its founding in 1910 the organisation has donated over 10,000 works to museums ...

(WA Branch).

Death

He died at the age of 65 from a recurrence of tuberculosis, in August 1981.

Artwork and recognition

He formed the Perth Group in the late 1950s with fellow artists

Robert Juniper Robert Litchfield Juniper, Member of the Order of Australia, AM (7 January 192920 December 2012) was an Australian artist, art teacher, illustrator, painter, printmaker and sculptor. Early life Juniper was born in the wheat-belt town of Merredi ...

Brian McKay, Tom Gibbons and Maurice Stubbs. The group's aim was to promote European modernism, which was not yet accepted in Australia. Grey-Smith was influenced by Cézanne, English constructionist painters,

Nicolas de Staël Nicolas de Staël (; January 5, 1914 – March 16, 1955) was a French painter of Russian origin known for his use of a thick impasto and his highly abstract landscape painting. He also worked with collage, illustration and textiles. Early life ...

and the Western Australian landscape. He travelled throughout the state, including

the Kimberley The Kimberley is the northernmost of the nine regions of Western Australia. It is bordered on the west by the Indian Ocean, on the north by the Timor Sea, on the south by the Great Sandy and Tanami deserts in the region of the Pilbara, an ...

Pilbara The Pilbara () is a large, dry, thinly populated region in the north of Western Australia. It is known for its Aboriginal peoples; its ancient landscapes; the red earth; and its vast mineral deposits, in particular iron ore. It is also a glo ...

Goldfields Goldfield or Goldfields may refer to: Places * Goldfield, Arizona, the former name of Youngberg, Arizona, a populated place in the United States * Goldfield, Colorado, a community in the United States * Goldfield, Iowa, a city in the United State ...

and South West regions, drawing and making notes in order to produce larger works back in his studio. At the time of his death, his work was increasingly achieving recognition and is held in high regard today. In December 2007,

Christie's Christie's is a British auction house founded in 1766 by James Christie (auctioneer), James Christie. Its main premises are on King Street, St James's in London, at Rockefeller Center in New York City and at Alexandra House in Hong Kong. It is ...

auctioned one of his landscape paintings with an estimate of £1500 to £2500. The painting sold for £29,300 (A$64,000). According to art collector Max Grunberg, Grey-Smith paintings sold at a large auction during the 1990s for $18,000 to $20,000 would now sell for at least $40,000 to $45,000. He won the Perth Prize for best Western Australian entry in 1955 and 1963, and the Perth Prize in 1964. In 1959, he was awarded the Murdoch Prize, and the Robin Hood Art Prize in 1962 He received the St George's Cathedral Prize in 1966 and 1967, and the Walter Murdoch Prize in 1967 and 1968. Grey-Smith was honoured with a Special Distinguished Artist and Scholar Grant from the Australia Council for the Arts in 1973 and an

Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

in 1981. In 2012, a new biography of the artist by Andrew Gaynor was published.

Selected exhibitions

* 1957

Brummels Gallery Brummels Gallery in South Yarra, Melbourne, Australia, was a commercial gallery established by David Yencken in 1956 to exhibit contemporary Modernist Australian painting, sculpture and prints, but after a period of dormancy became best known in ...

, Melbourne.Shaw, Arnold (1957) 'Art Notes: Young Painter Comes To Maturity'. In 'The Age' July 2, 1957 p.

/ref> * 1961 Recent Australian Painting (group show) Whitechapel Gallery, London, UK June 1961 - July 1961

Selected posthumous exhibitions

Solo: *2014 Guy Grey-Smith: Art As Life - Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth, WA *2006 Guy Grey Smith - Goddard de Fiddes Gallery, West Perth, WA *2001 Guy Grey-Smith - Goddard de Fiddes Gallery, West Perth, WA *1997 Guy Grey-Smith - Goddard de Fiddes Gallery, West Perth, WA Group: *2011Vast: North-West landscapes - Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth, WA *2010 Tom Collins, and after: a bequest and its legacy - The University of Western Australia, Crawley WA * Miscellanea - Tim Olsen Gallery, Sydney, NSW *LandSpace - Goddard de Fiddes Gallery, West Perth, WA *2008 Style and Synthesis: Nine Australian moderns - The University of Western Australia, Crawley WA *2005 Space - Goddard de Fiddes Gallery, West Perth, WA *2000 GdeF Group show - Goddard de Fiddes Gallery, West Perth, WA

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grey-Smith, Guy 1916 births 1981 deaths People from Wagin, Western Australia 20th-century deaths from tuberculosis Tuberculosis deaths in Victoria (Australia) Australian printmakers 20th-century Australian painters 20th-century Australian male artists 20th-century printmakers Darlington, Western Australia Royal Australian Air Force personnel Royal Air Force pilots of World War II Royal Air Force officers British World War II prisoners of war Stalag Luft III prisoners of World War II Shot-down aviators Australian male painters British World War II bomber pilots