Jeffrey Smart, iconic painter and self-described “frustrated architect” was born in Adelaide in 1921 but has chosen to live in Italy for the last 48 years. Clive James calls him “the modern Australian painter whose paintings look least Australian.” He has been variously described as a surrealist, realist, hyper-realist, ‘off-beat classicist’ or metaphysical painter, however for Jeffrey Smart, one thing is certain; “The world,” says Smart, “has never been more beautiful.”
Drawing on the University’s rich collection of Smart works, the University Art Gallery’s Jeffrey Smart: Unspoken explores the striking but deceptive simplicity of the artist’s style and probes some of the artist’s cherished themes.
Curated by recently appointed Power Professor of Art History and Visual Culture, Mark Ledbury, the exhibition is the first of a University initiative to invite leading art historians to engage with its art collection.
Jeffrey Smart: Unspoken runs until 27 November 2011. For more details and opening times click on the link.
Coogee Baths – Winter Jeffrey Smart (1962), donated through the Alan Richard Renshaw bequest © Jeffrey Smart