'Bottle & Boat 1' by John Firth-Smith
Born
1943, Melbourne
Studies
1961- National Art School, Sydney
"Melbourne-born
painter, John Firth-Smith, has lived for most of his life in Sydney close
to the harbour and boats which provide the subject matter for much of his
work.
His often large-scale pictures are known for their painterly brilliance
and abstract intensity with their references to the texture of weathered
wood and the changing moods of the sea."
Excerpt
taken from "Art Almanac", November 2007 issue.
2006
"The New York Works, A Survey", Embassy of Australia, Washington
DC
2005
Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, Sydney
2003
Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, Sydney
2002
Lister Calder Gallery, Western Australia
Metro 5 Gallery, Melbourne
2001
Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, Sydney
1999
"John Firth-Smith: A Voyage that Never Ends" (book launch and
exhibition), Roslyn OxIey9 Gallery, Sydney
1998
Roslyn OxIey9 Gallery, Sydney
1996
Roslyn OxIey9 Gallery, Sydney
1994
Roslyn
OxIey9 Gallery, Sydney
Robert Lindsay Gallery, Melbourne
Greenaway Art Gallery, Adelaide
1993
Roslyn OxIey9 Gallery, Sydney
1992
"Work on Paper: 1982-1992," Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, Sydney
1990
Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, Sydney
"New Lithographs," Australian Galleries, Melbourne
1988
Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, Sydney
1987
Gallery 52, Perth
"In and On" (lithographs), Blaxland Gallery, Sydney
1986
Powell St Gallery, Melbourne
1984
"Inspiration and Reality," University of Melbourne
1983
Gallery 52, Perth, Western Australia
Ray Hughes Gallery, Brisbane
"Bottle and Boat" (lithographs), Roslyn OxIey9 Gallery, Sydney
1982
"Works from New York," Axion Gallery, Melbourne
"Works from New York," Gallery A, Sydney
1981
Gallery A, Sydney
Bonython Art Gallery, Adelaide
1979
Gallery A, Sydney
Powell Street Gallery, Melbourne
1978
Bonython Art Gallery, Adelaide
1977
Gallery A, Sydney
Ray Hughes Gallery, Brisbane
1976
Ray Hughes Gallery, Brisbane
Realities Gallery, Melbourne
1975
Gallery A, Sydney
1973
Gallery A, Sydney
1972
Gallery A, Sydney
1970
Gallery A, Sydney
1969
Gallery A, Sydney and Melbourne
1966
Gallery A, Sydney and Melbourne
2007
"Harbourlife" Manly Art Gallery & Museum
2006
"Stolen Ritual", Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, Sydney
2005
"Fireworks," Mackay Artspace touring exhibition, New
South Wales, Queensland, and Victorian regional galleries
"Landscape Now," Solander Gallery, Canberra
"Hill End Scenes, People or Objects," Inaugural Exhibition, NPWS
Gallery, Hill End
2004
"Spectrum 2004," FONAS, National Art School, Sydney
2003
"The Year in Art," S.H. Ervin Gallery, Sydney
"Australian Masters," Solander Gallery, Canberra
"Beneath the Monsoon," Touring Regional Galleries, Queensland
2002
"Fifty Years of Abstraction," Metro 5 Gallery, Melbourne
"Points of View," University of Technology Sydney Art
Collection, UTS, Sydney
"The First 20 Years," Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, Sydney
2001
"MCA Unpacked" Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney
1999
"Silver," Ivan Dougherty Gallery, Sydney
"Fabric of Labour," BulIe Gallery, Melbourne
"Three Generations," Solander Gallery, Canberra
1998
"Escape Artists: Modernists in the Tropics," Cairns Regional
Gallery & travelling, QLD, NSW and VIC
Axia Modern Art Opening Exhibition, Melbourne
Australian Printmaking in the 1990's: Artist printmakers 1990-95,
(exhibition and Sasha Grishin book launch), Sherman Galleries, Sydney
1997
"Swingtime Eastcoast- Westcoast: Works from the I 960s-70s in the
University of Western Australia Art Collection," University of WA,
Perth
1995
"The Artists of Hill End", Art Gallery of New South Wales &
travelling New South Wales
"Asia and Oceania Influence," Ivan Dougherty Gallery,
Sydney
"Contemporary Australian Art," Kuala Lumpur
"Selection of Australian Works," Queensland University of
Technology, Brisbane
1994
"Modern Australian Paintings," Charles Nodrum Gallery, Melbourne
1992
"Australian Masters", Solander Gallery, Canberra
"Works on Paper", R.M.I.T., Mebourne
Synthesis 6: Art & Architecture” (with Lawrence Neild), Sydney 1988
"Australian Masters", Solander Gallery, Canberra
1987
"Surface for Reflection", Art Gallery of New South Wales &
travelling NSW
"Australian Painters & Sculptors", Saitama, Japan Museum of
Contemporary Art, Brisbane (inaugural exhibition)
1986
"A Resistant Spirit", Roslyn OxIey9 Gallery, Sydney &
Realities Gallery, Melbourne
1984
"New Work", Powell Street Gallery
1983
"Abstract Art in Australia", R.M.I.T. Gallery Melbourne
Five Sydney Painters "The Wrong Place", University of Tasmania
Art Gallery, Hobart
"Twelve Australian Painters", Art Gallery of Western Australia
Perspecta '83, Art Gallery of New South Wales
Commonwealth Bank Contemporary Artists Exhibition, Sydney
"Prix de Monaco" Exhibition, Monte Carlo
1982
"Landscape Now", Solander Gallery, Canberra ACT
1981
"LIS '81", International Exhibition of Drawings, Lisbon
Portugal
"Survey 16" National Gallery of Victoria; and at Penrith Art
Gallery and Lewers Bequest Museum, Penrith, New South Wales
"Survey of the Seventies" Bendigo Art Gallery, Victoria
1980
Summer Exhibition, Gallery A, Sydney
1979
"LIS '79", International Exhibition of Drawings, Lisbon &
Opporto, Portugal
1978
"Contemporary Australian Art to Indonesia" - Landscape and Image
"Water Works", Ivan Dougherty Gallery, Alexander Mackie College
of Advanced Education, Sydney
1977
Group Show, Gallery A, Sydney
"Australian Colourists '77", Western Australian Institute of
Technology, Perth
1976
Included "Artists Films", touring Europe and USA
1975
Joint exhibition with Tony Tuckson, Monash University, Melbourne
"Ten Australians" Gallery A, Sydney
"The Ocean' Expo '75", Okinawa, Japan
1974
Included "Artists Films", Art Gallery of New South Wales
"Return to Sender" Exhibition, Florence, Italy
"Ten Australians" - Paris Stuttgart, Venice, Milan, Florence
Invited William Angliss Prize, Melbourne
1973
Invited Biennale de Paris, France
"Contemporary Australian Painting and Sculpture", New
Zealand
"The Biennale of Sydney" Opera House, Sydney
1972
Included in "Twenty Years of Australian Painting", London, UK
Group Exhibition with Michael Johnson and Andrew NoIt, Gallery A, Sydney
Invited Georges Prize, Melbourne
1970
Invited First Leasing Prize, Melbourne
Invited Georges Prize, Melbourne
1969
"Japanese Forum Exhibition", Tokyo, Japan
1968
"Group 2", Gallery A, Sydney and Melbourne
1967
"New Generation Sydney", Gallery A, Melbourne
1966
Invited Helena Rubenstein Travelling Scholarship "Survey 6",
Blaxland Gallery, Sydney
"Australian Young Contemporaries" exhibition, Perth
1965
"Survey 5", Blaxland Gallery, Sydney
1964
"Survey 4", Blaxland Gallery, Sydney
1963
Joint Exhibition with Ian Van Wieringen, Hungry Horse Gallery, Sydney
1962
Joint exhibition with Ian Van Wieringen, Clune Galleries, Sydney
1978 Sydney Morning
Herald Art Prize Civic Permanent Art Award, Canberra Broken Hill Art Prize
1977 Bathurst Art Prize Dalby Art Prize Capital Permanent Award, Geelong
Art Gallery
1975 McCaughey Memorial Prize, Melbourne
1974 Townsville Art Prize (Purchase)
1972 Grafton Art Prize (Purchase) Georges Art Prize (Purchase)
1968 Young Contemporaries Royal Easter Show - Modern
1964 Young Contemporaries `B'Section Mirror-Waratah Under 22 Years
Contemporary
1963 Young Contemporaries `B'Section
1962 Mirror-Waratah Under 22 Years Contemporary
2000 Macquarie
Apartments, Sydney, designed by Renzo Piano, painting
1998 Deutsche Bank, Australia Square, Sydney, painting
1997 Landmark Hotel, Kings Cross, Sydney, painting
1993 Governor Phillip Tower, Sydney, designed by Denton Corker Marshall,
commissioned by DCM Design for Sumitomo Tenancy, painting
1992 ANA Hotel foyer, Sydney
1988 State Bank, Sydney, painting
1987 New Parliament House Tapestry design, Canberra
1987 Convention Centre, Darling Harbour, Sydney, painting
1987 Hyatt Hotel Adelaide, painting
1987 Monash Hospital Art Foundation, painting
1981 Mural, 6 x 6Cm, commissioned by l.M. Pei for ANZ Bank Head Office,
Collins Street, Melbourne. Building designed by I.M. Pei. Tapestry of
“Key”, commissioned by
1981 Gallery A, executed by Victorian Tapestry Workshop.
1980 National Capital Permanent Development Commission for Family Law
Courts, Canberra
Also completed several private commissions for domestic interiors
ANZ Bank, Commission, Melbourne
Art Gallery of New South Wales
Art Gallery of South Australia
Art Gallery of Western Australia
Australian National Gallery, Canberra
Artbank
BHP Collection, Melbourne
Bathurst Art Gallery, New South Wales
Broken Hill City Art Gallery, New South Wales
C.B.A. Bank, Sydney
Commonwealth Loan Collection
Curtin University Collection, Perth
Dalby Art Gallery, Queensland
Geelong Art Gallery, Victoria
Georges Limited, Melbourne
Grafton City Council, New South Wales
McGregor Collection, Toowoomba, Queensland
Mildura Arts Centre, Victoria
Monash University Collection, Melbourne
National Bank of Australia
National Gallery of Victoria
Newcastle Region Art Gallery
Philip Morris Collection, Melbourne
Power Gallery, University of Sydney
Qantas Airways Collection, Sydney
Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane
Shepparton Art Gallery, Victoria
Sydney Morning Herald Collection
Tarrawarra Museum of Art, Victoria
TownsvilIe City Gallery, Queensland
University of Melbourne Collection
University of Western Australia
Visual Arts Board, Australia Council
Windsor Council, New South Wales
Artbank Collection
Private Collections in Australia, New Zealand, USA, Europe and Asia