Exhibition by Richard Shirley Smith
Wednesday, 09 April, 2008

A new exhibition displaying work by local artist Richard Shirley Smith opened on 5 April at Wiltshire Heritage Museum.

The exhibition - a mini-retrospective - displays examples of the artist’s work over the last 50 years. The exhibition includes pencil drawings from his time studying at the Slade School of Fine Art, wood engravings for book illustrations, trompe l’oeil mural cartoons, paintings and drawings for The Highgrove Florilegium. Also included in the exhibition are books he has illustrated, books about his work, artists tools and some of the objects used in his still life paintings. Richard Shirley Smith will be giving a lecture about his work at the Museum on Saturday 17 May at 2.30 pm. Tickets cost £4 and can be purchased from the Museum Shop or by calling 01380 727369. The Education Officer will also be holding special workshops for children – further details from the Museum on 01380 727369.

Richard Shirley Smith studied at The Slade School of Fine Art and in Rome before moving to Wiltshire in 1966 to become Head of the Art Department at Marlborough College. He has had more than twenty one man shows and twelve mural commissions were completed between 1975 and 1990 in London’s Eaton Square, Princes Gate, Kensington Palace Gardens and elsewhere.

Lisa Webb, Acting Curator, said of the exhibition ‘I am thrilled to have had the opportunity to work with such an accomplished artist. It is a wonderful achievement for the Museum to exhibit such outstanding art work’.

Richard Shirley Smith: Skill * Imagination * Versatility. Paintings, collages, engravings and designs for murals and books will be on display in the Museum’s Art Gallery from 5 April to 15 June 2008. Usual Museum admission charges apply (FREE on Sundays).

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