Gordon Appelbe Smith CM RCA (June 18, 1919 – January 18, 2020) was an English-born Canadian artist, known for expanding the dialogue between abstraction and representation, working with mediums such as painting, printmaking, and sculpting.
[7] In 1951, he studied at the California School of Fine Arts with Elmer Bischoff and learned of American artists such as Clyfford Still, Richard Diebenkorn and others.
[6] In the mid-to-late fifties, he painted abstractions with thick black-line grids and structures, but his work constantly evolved later.
[9] After this project and trips to Egypt, the U.S. and Europe, Smith developed his Seawall series with a composition composed of horizontal bands and used it for ocean vistas.
[11] He taught for 26 years there until retiring in 1982, then formed the foundation Artists for Kids Trust, to benefit children’s art education.
In March 2009, at the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa, he was named a laureate and presented with the Governor General's Award in the Visual and Media Arts.
[12] He was made a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts[13] Smith's works are included in the collections of the following museums: In 2009 his massive wall sculpture Beach Tangle[16] was installed in the lobby of the West Vancouver Community Centre, one of the venues for celebration during the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.
In 1953, Gordon and Marion Smith moved to the North Shore of Vancouver into their first commissioned house from the architect Arthur Erickson.