SMITH, David Thomas

1920 - 1999

David Thomas Smith was born at Lowestoft, Suffolk on 13 April 1920, only son of David Smith (12 October 1880-1947), a fisherman, and his wife Lilian Florence née Mills (15 August 1889-1975), who married at Lowestoft in 1916, and in 1939 were living at 189 Raglan Street, Lowestoft. Young David would accompany his father aboard his drifter, 'The Kipper' for several days at a time and never lost the voyager urge. He studied at Lowestoft Technical School and at both Lowestoft and Norwich Schools of Art. David Smith was visiting master at Framlingham College 1939-1940, then served in the Royal Air Force. In 1949 he painted 'The Last Flight of Flt. Sergeant Rawdon Hume Middleton, V.C.' which was handed over to the Royal Australian Air Force at Mildenhall, Suffolk. After demobilisation he studied at the Slade School of Fine Art, winning an Abbey Major Rome Scholarship at the British School in Rome 1949. David then continued teaching including as senior lecturer in fine art at Chelsea School of Art 1965-1979 when he retired. A painter, draughtsman and printmaker being elected to the Royal Society of Etcher Painter in 1951, exhibiting at the Royal Academy; the London Group of Artists; New Art Centre and elsewhere having over sixty solo shows in the UK and abroad including a retrospective at Evesham Arts Festival in 1990; a major show at Sogo Art Gallery, Yokohama 1991 and a retrospective at the Bankside Gallery 1996. Official artist to the British Antarctic Survey 1975-1976 and on the second voyage 1979-1980. He was also a book illustrator including Woodman's 'View from the Sea' and Fogg's 'The Discovery of the Antarctica'. He married at St Edmund's Church, Downham Market, Norfolk on 25 July 1945 the singer and teacher Elizabeth Hawes, only daughter of Dr A. J. Hawes, of Downham, and the eldest of their two daughters was Caroline Elizabeth Kano, professor of English and Chinese at the Prefectural Women's College, Matsue, Japan. David Thomas Smith lived at Camden, London where he died on 1 September 1999.

Royal Academy Exhibits
from 21 Avondale Avenue, London N 12
1952 1027 Malvern Hills - watercolour
1957 861 Florence - watercolour
1958 495 Norfolk: Flooded Fen
from 14 Eaton Road, London NW 3
1966 174 Forth Bridge - watercolour
1972 975 Refitting the Tug, Lowestoft - etching & aquatint
         979 Trawlers in Dry Dock, Lowestoft - etching & aquatint
1973 655 The Old Pierheads, Lowestoft - watercolour
         787 Washing Day, Fishermen's Cottages - etching & aquatint
         804 The Slipway, Lowestoft - etching & aquatint
1975 796 Sheringham - etching & aquatint
         803 Trawlers in Dry Dock - etching & aquatint
1976 1236 Under the Lifeboat Jetty, Lowestoft - etching & aquatint
         1245 Lowestoft Harbour - etching & aquatint

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Works by This Artist