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Governor General's Awards in Visual and Media Arts
GreerKubotaLockauMcKeoughMorinMoriyamaSmithUrquhartOndaatje

Gordon Smith

Gordon Smith

"As far as the painting goes, I'd like to forget everything I've ever done before. The things I'm doing now are more interesting than anything I've ever done." –Gordon Smith

Gordon Smith's life has been an adventure. He has moved with the people, places and movements that have defined Canadian art since the 1950s. His life has also been a quest. He has explored the poles of realism and abstraction, order and chaos, experimenting, questioning and reinventing himself numerous times over his extensive career. As he turns 90 this year, the adventure continues… and so does the quest. Smith spends time in his studio every day, wrestling with making art, questioning his past work and creating what critics say is the strongest, most sophisticated work of his career.

Gordon Smith was nominated by Kathleen S. Bartels, director, Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver. 

  • Wet Night
  • Sea Wall Dundarave
  • West Coast R5
  • Tanu I
  • Winter Pond
  • Creek Tangle #2