One of Australia’s most celebrated artists, Smart sought inspiration from the world around him – looking to the environment of urban and industrial modernity – which he transformed through his imaginative sense of theatre and intimate understanding of geometry and composition. These potent and intriguing images have become emblematic of 20th and 21st century urban experience.
Building on the foundational work already undertaken on Smart, this exhibition will bring fresh perspectives to his artistic contribution so that his remarkable legacy will be kept alive in the present.
Curators: Dr Deborah Hart, Henry Dalrymple Head of Australian Art and Dr Rebecca Edwards, Sid & Fiona Myer Curator of Ceramics and Design
Jeffrey Smart Service station, Calabria 1977 Tuscany, Italy oil on canvas 80.9 x 116.3 cm Bendigo Art Gallery, Bendigo Purchased by Bendigo Art Gallery 1979 © The Estate of Jeffrey Smart