Gordon Appelbe Smith, CM, OBC (1919–2020)

Biography of Gordon Smith

Gordon Appelbe Smith, CM, OBC (1919–2020), was a renowned Canadian painter, printmaker, teacher, and philanthropist. Born in East Brighton, England, he emigrated to Winnipeg, Manitoba, in 1933, where he studied at the Winnipeg School of Art and began his artistic career. After serving in the Canadian infantry during World War II, where he was seriously wounded, Smith returned to Canada and settled in Vancouver, British Columbia. There, he completed his studies at the Vancouver School of Art (now Emily Carr University of Art and Design) and began a long, influential career that spanned more than seven decades. Smith’s meditative exploration of nature, often blurred the lines between abstraction and representation.

Smith’s work is celebrated for its lyrical abstraction, blending elements of the West Coast landscape with modernist influences. Early in his career, he was mentored by Group of Seven member Lawren Harris, earning a solo exhibition at the Vancouver Art Gallery in 1944. National recognition came in 1955 with his award-winning painting, Structure with Red Sun, at the First Biennial of Canadian Painting at the National Gallery. Over the years, his style evolved, becoming more gestural and expressive, particularly after the mid-1980s.  

A key figure in Vancouver’s art scene, Smith had numerous solo exhibitions, with significant retrospectives at the Vancouver Art Gallery in 1976 and 1997, and he was prominently featured at galleries across Canada and internationally. He participated in prestigious biennials and collaborated on notable projects, including the design of the Canadian Pavilion at Expo 70 in Osaka, Japan with architect Arthur Erickson. Erickson designed two homes for Marion and Gordon Smith. Erickon’s design of their second home was designed with whole walls made of glass, like lenses into the natural world. Smith’s deep appreciation for the splendor of West Vancouver, became the subject of his well-known “Byway” series.  The silhouettes of the trees teeter on abstraction as the familiar ocean and mountains are filtered through a backlit forest.

Smith’s work is held in major collections worldwide, including the Vancouver Art Gallery, the National Gallery of Canada, MoMA in New York, the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

Beyond his artistic achievements, Smith was a dedicated educator, teaching at the Vancouver School of Art and the University of British Columbia. He received numerous honors, including the Order of Canada, the Order of British Columbia, the Audain Prize for Lifetime Achievement, and the Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Arts. Smith continued to paint until his final exhibition in 2018 and passed away in 2020 at the age of 100, leaving behind a legacy as one of Canada’s leading abstract artists.