Martin Smith, Bowl on Plinth (1977) raku, enamel transfers, 243 x 243 x 40 mm 
Martin Smith, Bowl (1977) raku, enamel transfers, 425 x 355 x 86 mm 
Martin Smith, Bowl (1978) raku, D 223 x 234 mm 
Martin Smith, Cup & Saucer, edition of 5 (1989) red earthenware, underglaze colour, 160 x 110 x 91 mm 
Martin Smith, Cup, edition of 6, artist’s proof (1984) red earthenware, underglaze colour, aluminium, 197 x 117 x 50 mm 
Martin Smith, Vessel (1990) red earthenware, metal leaf, D 120 x 260 mm 
Martin Smith, Shift & Rotate No.3 (1996) red earthenware, platinum leaf, D 260 x 260 mm 
Martin Smith, Sound & Silence No.6 (2005) red earthenware, glass, platinum leaf, 520 x 150 mm 
Martin Smith, Cord and Discord No.7 (2007) white earthenware, underglaze colour, platinum leaf, D 184 x 584 mm 
Martin Smith, Static Shift No. 3 (2013) white earthenware, underglaze, D 120 x 480 mm 
Martin Smith, 2 Corners Diptych No. 1 (2013) white earthenware, underglaze, 490 x 1000 x 50 mm (installation)
Martin Smith: Archive Presentation 2020 at Marsden Woo, London
July 1 – August 31, 2020
Martin Smith has achieved international recognition as one of the UK’s leading ceramic artists. This impressive selection of work spans his remarkable career from the 1970s to present day. The earliest raku pieces from 1977 were originally exhibited in Smith’s Royal College of Art Graduation Show as he started to define his core areas of investigation and visual language. The collection continues through to his most recent series of sculptures created in 2019 which demonstrate a culmination of precise execution and sensuous form.
Many of his major bodies of work produced over this 43 year period are represented, some never previously exhibited in the UK. Although appearance, material and technique may change radically, it is possible to discern a continuous thread linking all works.
This retrospective takes place across two venues, Marsden Woo’s private Belgravia showroom and Martin Smith’s Camden studio. Both spaces are available to visit by appointment only.
Martin Smith studio exhibition installation view, 2020 
Martin Smith studio exhibition installation view, 2020 
Martin Smith studio exhibition installation view, 2020 
Martin Smith studio exhibition installation view, 2020, focus on Plates series (1988) 
Martin Smith studio exhibition installation view, 2020, focus on Bowl (1977) 
Martin Smith studio exhibition installation view, 2020, focus on Surface & Depth – Red_Yellow (2009) 
Martin Smith studio exhibition installation view, 2020, focus on Wall works Dish 1 -3 (2007) & Offset Diptych (2008) 
Martin Smith studio exhibition installation view, 2020
Martin Smith trained at Bristol Polytechnic Faculty of Art and Design and the Royal College of Art, and sees himself as an artist, designing his work with the mindset of an architect and meticulously planning each piece.
Since the start of his career in the late 1970s, Smith has exhibited internationally and examples of his work can be found in many public collections worldwide. A major retrospective was held at the Museum Bojimans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam, in 1996 and in 2001 he made Wavelength, a site-specific work for Tate St. Ives. He is also known for his multi-disciplinary approach to design and site-specific furniture.
Previously Professor of Ceramics and Glass at the Royal College of Art, a position he held for 16 years, Smith then took on a new role as Senior Research Fellow at the RCA where he researched the ‘Potential of the Digitally Printed Ceramic Surface’. This work has formed the basis of his ceramic design activities and work with the ceramic industry. He has recently designed the domestic-style gallery space for the Anthony Shaw Collection in York Art Gallery as well as continuing to explore his work in the field of ceramics.
Contact
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London SW1W 8UT
