Original Oil on Board
Frank Sidney Smith (b. 22 April 1928 – 2016) was a self‑taught British artist whose deeply personal autobiographical paintings and oil works resonated with resilience and humanity. Born in the Thanet Union Workhouse in Kent and raised in a children’s home, he later served in the Army (Palestine, Greece, Korea) before working in car factories in Birmingham. Beginning life classes in the mid‑1970s, he painted more than 500 canvases, each narrating chapters of his rich, often-troubled life: childhood memories, wartime service, family joys and personal loss—the death by suicide of his schizophrenic son and the eventual loss of his mentally ill wife. Despite the sorrow, his artworks are infused with tender humour and optimism, evoking the spirit of a storyteller dedicated to bearing witness.
Size: 77 x 61cm
Original Oil on Board
Frank Sidney Smith (b. 22 April 1928 – 2016) was a self‑taught British artist whose deeply personal autobiographical paintings and oil works resonated with resilience and humanity. Born in the Thanet Union Workhouse in Kent and raised in a children’s home, he later served in the Army (Palestine, Greece, Korea) before working in car factories in Birmingham. Beginning life classes in the mid‑1970s, he painted more than 500 canvases, each narrating chapters of his rich, often-troubled life: childhood memories, wartime service, family joys and personal loss—the death by suicide of his schizophrenic son and the eventual loss of his mentally ill wife. Despite the sorrow, his artworks are infused with tender humour and optimism, evoking the spirit of a storyteller dedicated to bearing witness.
Size: 77 x 61cm