Howard Smith

HOWARD SMITH (b. 1928)

Howard Smith was born 1928 in Moorestown, New Jersey where he spent his schooling years. In 1949 he joined the army, was promoted sergeant in 1950 and posted to Japan and Korea. He was later posted to West Germany before being honourably discharged from the army in 1958. He began art studies at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia in 1960, of which he became a fellow in 1962.

He made his first trip to Finland in the same year as a member of the Young America Presents group and remained there, working supported by an art oriented advertising agency. He had his first private exhibition in Helsinki 1963, produced many interior designs, as well as spending a short time as an assistant to Kaj Franck at the Institute of Applied Arts in Helsinki. He exhibited widely in Finland in the 1960’s and early 1970’s as well as completing a number of large commissions for murals and colour schemes. He became well known to large audience with his interior textiles for Vallila Interiors.

In 1976 he moved back to the United States, to California, where he stayed until 1984. On his return to Finland he became a visiting artist at the Arabia ceramics factory in Helsinki, and designed for them from 1986-1995. In 1988 he and ceramic artist Erna Aaltonen formed the Arteos Studio, a collaborative ceramic/art project. They moved to Fiskars near Helsinki in 1996, where they continue to live today.

Above: Howard Smith in his sculpture park, 2000

Curriculum Vitae

Solo Exhibitions

1963	Drawings & paper collages, Galeria Pinx, Helsinki
1965	Paper collages, watercolours, paintings, drawings & sculpture, Galeria Pinx, Helsinki
1967	Appliqués, Artek shop, Helsinki
	Paper collages, watercolours, prints & sculpture, Tromsø Museum, Tromsø, Norway
1968	Appliqués & multiples, Waino Aaltonen Museum, Turku Appliqués & serigraphs, Galerie Artek, Helsinki
1969	Printed fabrics & appliqués, Asko Furniture Company, Oulu
1970	Serigraphs, University of California, Haywood
1974	Object collages, Hermes Club, Helsinki
1976	Paintings, The Gallery (later Gallery Tanner), Los Angeles
1978	Prints, tapestries, printed textiles & masks, Clark Humanities Museum, Scripps College, Claremont Printed textile works & prints, University of California, Los Angeles
1980	Masks, Beyond Baroque Foundation, Venice City Hall, California Wall Hangings, printed fabrics, sculpture & masks, Asanti Gallery, Los Angeles
1981	Prints, appliqués & masks, Chi-Wara Gallery, Atlanta, Georgia
1982	Prints, wooden sculptures & appliqués, Museum of African American Art, Los Angeles Paperworks, masks, sculpture, gouaches, sand-blasted glass, Chrysalis Gallery, Upland, California
1984	Artek salesroom, Helsinki
1985	Papercuts, paintings on paper & reliefs on handmade paper, Galleria Bronda, Helsinki
1986	Ceramics, Galleria Bronda, Helsinki
1987	Ceramics, Amos Anderson Art Museum, Helsinki
1988	Collages of handmade paper and wastepaper, Tervakoski Meeting Hall, Janakkala The World of Howard Smith’s Interior Design, Skanno Salesroom in Helsinki Oil paintings & ceramics, Galleria 88, Helsinki
1989	Ceramic clocks, Verlaramta, Tampere
1990	Prints on handmade paper, Siltakatu branch, KOP Bank, Joensuu Ceramics & graphics, Janakkalan Osuuspankki Bank, Turenki
1991	Ceramics, Vuorelma, Lahti Teppo Hurme and Tuula Silvonen ceramics centre, Asikkala
1992	30-year retrospective, Hämeenlinna Art Museum Ceramics, prints, wooden sculptures, Galleria Grafiart, Turku
1993	30-year retrospective, Savonlinna Art Museum Paintings, drawings, sculpture & ceramics, Husa Gallery, Tampere Papersmith: Works in Paper, Finnish Glass Museum, Riihimaki Sculpture, paintings & ceramics, Galerie Kaj Forsblom, Helsinki
1997	Works in paper, Galleria Bau, Helsinki Papercuts, Kuparipaja, Fiskars
1999	Works in paper, Korttien Talo, Hämeenlinna
2002	40-year retrospective, Galleria Nefret, Turku
2003	About Faces, masks, Kuparipaja, Fiskars & touring - Kanneltalo, Helsinki & Vuotalo, Helsinki
2007	Masks, paper collages and papercuts, Galleria Nefret, Turku
2008	80th Birthday Exhibition, Kuparipaja, Fiskars
2009	Metalworks, Masks, Papercuts, Galerie Besson, London

Teaching:

1970	Lecturer, Art Department of the University of California, Haywood, California
1980-84	Lecturer, Art Department of Scripps College, Claremont, California
1980	Lecturer, La Verne College, California
1984	Lecturer, University of Art and Design, Helsinki
1987	Lecturer, Department of Art History, Abo Akademi, University of Turku

Awards and distinctions:

1992	Grant from the State Design Council
1993	Prize of the Ida Aalberg Society, Janakkala
	Grant from the municipality of Janakkala
2001	State Design Prize
2002	Honorary member of the Fiskars cooperative of artisans, designers and artists
2003	Granted a state artist’s pension

Works in Public Collections:

Arabia Ceramics Museum, Helsinki Design Museum, Helsinki City of Espoo City of Helsinki Hämeenlinna Art Museum Municipality of Janakkala Johnson Publishing Co, Chicago Lemminäinen Oy, Helsinki Museum of African-American Art, Los Angeles Museum of Modern Art, New York Palace of Fine Art, Mexico City Smithsonian Institute, Washington DC Turku City Art Museum Vallila Interiors, Helsinki Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation, Rovaniemi Art Museum

Bibliography:

Howard Smith, Jussi Suomala, 2008, Like

Exhibitions at Galerie Besson

Pots for Light: New International Porcelain	Apr - May 2009
Howard Smith	Mar 2009

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