CHRONOLOGY 1879 1895-7 1901-5 1905 1906-7 1908 1910 1911 1912 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1932
Born 22 October in Halifax, the son of Frederic and Frances Smith. Attended Giggleswick School. Attended evening classes at Manchester’s Municipal College of Art. Enrolled at the Slade School, London. Met and fell in love with Gwen Salmond. Left for Pont-Aven, Brittany. Lived in Montparnasse, Paris, where he briefly attended the Atelier Matisse. Showed at Salon des Indépendants. Remained in France, returning for family Christmas. Married Gwen Salmond. Travelled to South of France for some months. Summer visit to England to see his father, who died in August. War prevented return to France. First visit to Cornwall. Son Frederic Mark Smith born. Painted in London. Summer holiday with Sickert in Devon. Second son Dermot Smith born. In November began army training in Hertfordshire. Attached to Labour Company as temporary second lieutenant. In September wounded during battle of Passchendaele. Hospitalised in England. Passed fit and promoted to lieutenant and posted to prisoner-of-war camp at Abbeville. Met Roderic O’Conor in Paris. Demobbed in March. Summer holiday with family in Cornwall. Moved in Autumn to St. Columb Major, where he painted many landscapes. In London, Paris and Brittany. Winter in Grez with his family. Entered Clinique Valmont near Lake Geneva, then treated in Lyons by Dr d’Espiney. Summer visit to St. Cyr (Rhone). Met and fell in love with Vera Cunningham. Moved with Vera to 6 bis Villa Brune, Paris. Painted many nudes. Continued showing with London Group. Roger Fry bought nudes by Smith and O’Conor for the Contemporary Art Society. In Paris. Showed with London Group. Gave up Villa Brune. Paintings by Matthew Smith at the Mayor Gallery, first one-man show. Lived for several months in Dieppe. Paintings by Matthew Smith at Alex Reid & Lefevre in December. The Tate Gallery bought Peonies. A Retrospective Exhibition of Paintings by Matthew Smith at Arthur Tooth & Son, who became his dealers. Represented in the Carnegie International Exhibition, Pittsburgh, USA. April: Matthew Smith: Exhibition of Recent Paintings at Tooth’s. In Woolhope, near Hereford, with Vera. Spent time with his family in September and drove to Arles and Aix in Autumn. Painted landscapes.