Sir Matthew Smith CBE, 'Dahlias'

Sir Matthew Smith CBE (British, 1879 –1959)

Dahlias

Pastel

22 x 16.1/4 in. (56 x 42 cm.)

Provenance: Sotheby’s London, 20^th Century Art, 03 Oct 2001, lot 49

Sir Matthew Smith was a British painter of nudes, still-life and landscape. He studied design at the Manchester School of Art and art at the Slade School of Art. Smith studied under Henri Matisse in Paris and acquired an interest in Fauvism. During World War I, he was wounded at the Battle of Passchendaele. In 1949, Smith was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). He was knighted in 1954. He married Gwen Salmond and their relationship broke up when he entered into an affair with Vera Cuningham. Smith lived, worked, and exhibited in England and France.