Vivian Smith, Portrait of the Artist's Daughter, 1936-1946, oil on canvas. Photo / Collection of the Sarjeant Gallery Te Whare o Rehua Whanganui, gift of Lilian Smith, 1983
Vivian Smith, Portrait of the Artist's Daughter, 1936-1946, oil on canvas. Photo / Collection of the Sarjeant Gallery Te Whare o Rehua Whanganui, gift of Lilian Smith, 1983
A generous bequest of artworks to the Sarjeant can now be viewed online in the gallery’s collection catalogue.
In 1988 the gallery acquired more than 850 items gifted by the late Lilian Ida Smith (1920-1983), daughter of Vivian and Mary Smith, both former artists and art teachers in Whanganui.
Lilian, a former Whanganui music teacher, also requested that her estate be divided into three equal parts to establish trusts to assist people aged over 35 years to develop their interest in painting, writing and music. The painting award is administered by the Sarjeant Gallery and, after being established in 1993, it was awarded three times, the last being in 2003.
In 2018 the award was reactivated and is now being presented as part of the Tylee Residency programme whereby the successful recipient receives an additional one-off grant for their residency.
Over the past few years, gallery staff have photographed and catalogued the Smith Family Collection which includes paintings, drawings, sculptures and archives.
The majority of the items in the collection are works by Lilian’s father Vivian (1883-1946). He was born in Sheffield, England, and studied mural and decorative painting, life drawing and portraiture at the Royal College of Art in London. He emigrated to New Zealand in 1913 and taught art for 19 years at Wellington Technical College.
In 1932 the family relocated to Whanganui and Vivian took up the position of art master at Whanganui Technical College. When he died in 1946, his wife Mary continued teaching in the role.
Studio portrait of Vivian Smith by an unknown photographer. Photo / Collection of the Sarjeant Gallery Te Whare o Rehua Whanganui, gift of Lilian Smith
Curator of collections Jennifer Taylor Moore, former gallery photographer Richard Wotton and current gallery photographer Michael McKeagg have been “chipping away in the background” to document the extensive collection, parts of which have featured in several exhibitions at the gallery.
Taylor Moore said the collection built a rich picture of the two artists and their careers.
“There are a lot of really beautiful paintings that Vivian did, mostly book illustrations by Mary, and some wonderful insect drawings by her as well. Because they were both art teachers, a lot of the works are teaching aids - drawings and developing ideas, such as looking at shadow and reflection or working from a realistic drawing of a flower then developing that into an arts and crafts wallpaper design. They also built up quite an amazing collection of books which were also gifted to the gallery.”
The move from the gallery’s Pukenamu Queen’s Park premises in 2014 and 2015 presented an opportunity to catalogue the remainder of the large collection. Collection transition assistant Kimberley Stephenson did a considerable amount of work on the Smith Family Collection, curated an exhibition and wrote a number of articles which are on the Sarjeant website.
Aspects of Vivian’s work are highlighted in the online articles. During World War I, Vivian served in the army overseas, using his drawing skill to represent his experiences.
“A striking characteristic of many of these works is their sense of intimacy. They are not glorifying or grand portrayals of war nor do they focus on its shocking aspects. Instead they record local landscapes and fellow soldiers in quiet moments – a shady path through a forest, a neglected farmhouse, a man writing a letter, clothes hanging on a line – each drawn with Vivian’s keen eye for the often overlooked details of life,” Stephenson wrote.
Vivian Smith, Sketch of a lion's head in profile. A study of one of his paws is located in the top left corner. Named King Dick, the lion was a resident at Newtown Zoo, Wellington, between 1906 and 1920. Photo / Collection of the Sarjeant Gallery Te Whare o Rehua Whanganui, gift of Lilian Smith
Another unique interest of Vivian’s was King Dick, a lion in Wellington Zoo that he sketched many times during his early years in the city. A profile sketch of the lion is one of his most striking images in the collection, from which he produced a watercolour and an etching.
The Smith Family Collection can be viewed on Explore the Collection, the Sarjeant’s prize-winning online collection portal, found at sarjeant.org.nz.
