David Smith RE (1920-1999) British 20th Century, Antarctica, oil on board, signed bottom right, dated 1984, framed. Measurements 24.3 x 29.5cm, framed measurements 36.8 x 42cm

David Smith (1920-1999) was a British expressionist painter and printmaker from Lowestoft, Suffolk. Smith served in the RAF during the Second World War Smith studied at the Slade School of Art and went on to teach as Senior Lecturer in Fine Art at the Chelsea School of Art. In 1951 he was elected RE. He is best known for his work as the official artist on board two British Antarctic surveys in 1975-1976 and 1979-1980. His work inspired by these two extended voyages is celebrated for his skill in expressing an intensity of colour across a pristine polar desert and was exhibited at the Commonwealth Institute. Following the success of his Antarctic series, he was commissioned by Trinity House to record all the lighthouses of England and Wales, fitting in with his belief in the documentary role of an artist.