Gray Smith: Life and Work Chronology

1910s

• 1919: 13 February. Born in Gardenvale, Victoria.

1930s

• 1935: Apprenticed to an optician and learnt fine metalwork skills, which were later used in the jewellery he made.
• 1939: Worked as a timber cutter at Mount Buffalo, helping to build a house.

1940s

• 1943–1945: Studied with Max Meldrum.
• 1944: Married Dorothy Evonne Egan-Lee on 3 July.
• 1945–1950: Exhibited in group shows with the Contemporary Art Society in Melbourne. Part of the Heide Circle.
• 1946: First daughter, Jocelyn, born.
• 1947: Gray Smith and Joy Hester began living together. Both left existing marriages. This marked the start of a long personal and creative partnership that shaped both of their artistic lives.
• 1948: Moved to Hurstbridge. No electricity or sewerage.

1950s

• 1951: First son, Peregrine Smith, born.
• 1952: April. Moved to Avonsleigh. Charles and Barbara Blackman later joined them for a year.
• 1954: Second daughter, Fern, born.
• 1955: Published work in Ern Malley’s Journal.
• 1956: First solo exhibition at the Gallery of Modern Art, Melbourne.
• 1957: Painting presented to the Museum of Modern Art, New York.
• 1958: Exhibited in Modern Australian Art: A Melbourne Collection of Paintings and Drawings at the Museum of Modern Art of Australia, the museum’s inaugural exhibition. Artists included Sidney Nolan, Arthur Boyd, Albert Tucker, John Perceval, Joy Hester, Charles Blackman, Mirka Mora, Fred Williams, and Gray Smith.
  • Solo exhibition at the Gallery of Contemporary Art (also called MoMAA), opened by Vance Palmer.

1960s

• 1960: August. Joy Smith (née Hester) died.
• 1961: Settled in Canberra with Joan Upward (née Davis), her children Brett and Matthew, and Gray’s children Fern and Peregrine. This thirteen-year partnership saw Gray produce his largest body of work and gain national recognition.
• 1962: Group exhibition at Studio Nundah, Canberra, featuring Gray’s artwork and jewellery.
• 1964: Art teacher for severely physically disabled children at Canberra Hospital.
  • Won the Helena Rubinstein Portrait Prize at the David Jones Gallery, ACT, for Portrait of Lady (Molly) Huxley.
  • Exhibited the Back o’ Bourke series at Gallery A.
  • Third daughter, Sheenagh Smith, born.
• 1966: Joint exhibition with John Perceval at the Theatre Gallery, Canberra.
• 1966: The Canberry Paintings: The First Hundred Years presented by the Arts Council of Canberra.
• 1967: Preview exhibition at the residence of Henri Souillac, Cultural Counsellor of France, prior to travelling to Paris.
  • Artworks published in Tales and Legends of Canberra Pioneers, the diary of Samuel Shumack, published by ANU Press.
• 1968: Joint exhibition with Arthur Wicks at the Cité Internationale des Arts and Qantas, Paris, alongside a residency at the Cité des Arts.
  • Eurimburra Legend exhibition at Sculpture Gallery.
• 1969: ANU Arts Society acquisition exhibition at the ANU Union Building, opened by Dr B. E. Kent.
  • Directed the mural on the YWCA building, now demolished, created by students of the Canberra School of Art.
• 1969–1971: Taught at the Canberra School of Art.

1970s

• 1970: Produced the Captain Cook series.
• 1971: Completed the Daisy Bates series for an ABC broadcasting commission. Research and development led by Professor James Tulip.
• 1971–1972: Art critic for The Canberra Times.
• 1972–1973: Gray and Joan Smith separated.
• 1975: Solo exhibition at Solander Galleries, arranged by Joan Scott (née Smith).
• 1976–1990: Continued to paint despite ill health, though he did not exhibit.

1990s

• 1990: 7 August. Died in Canberra aged 70.