Minnie Smythe (1872–1955) was a British landscape

watercolour Watercolor (American English) or watercolour ( Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin 'water'), is a painting method"Watercolor may be as old as art itself, going back to the ...

ist. Her paintings often depicted the figures and countryside of the

Pas-de-Calais The Pas-de-Calais (, ' strait of Calais'; ; ) is a department in northern France named after the French designation of the Strait of Dover, which it borders. It has the most communes of all the departments of France, with 890, and is the ...

region of France.

Biography

Smythe was born in 1872 at St Pancras, London. She was the daughter of the artist Lionel Smythe and Alice Gunyon, the second of three children. Educated in France, she was trained in painting by her father., Smythe had her first exhibition in 1896 at the

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House in Piccadilly London, England. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its ...

while she was living at the family home of ''Chateau d'Honvault,'' near

Wimereux Wimereux (; ) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France north of Boulogne-sur-Mer, on the banks of the small river Wimereux. The river Slack forms the northern border of the commune and the Englis ...

, France. In 1897, she had her first pupil as a painting teacher, the architect Sydney Vacher. In 1901, she exhibited at the

Society of Women Artists The Society of Women Artists (SWA) is a British art body dedicated to celebrating and promoting fine art created by women. It was founded as the Society of Female Artists (SFA) in 1855, offering women artists the opportunity to exhibit and sell ...

, the same year she was made an Associate of the

Royal Watercolour Society The Royal Watercolour Society is a British institution of painters working in watercolours. The Society is a centre of excellence for water-based media on paper, which allows for a diverse and interesting range of approaches to the medium of wa ...

. In 1904, it was noted by the

Fine Art Society The Fine Art Society is a gallery based in both London and in Edinburgh's New Town (originally Bourne Fine Art, established 1978). The New Bond Street, London gallery closed its doors in August 2018 after being occupied by The Fine Art Society ...

in London that her production was sparing, and her subjects were mainly of figures and landscapes from the Pas-de-Calais region. She also painted flowers and received commissions for child portraits. In 1905, her work ''A Cottage Girl'' was included in the book ''

Women Painters of the World ''Women Painters of the World, from the time of Caterina Vigri, 1413–1463, to Rosa Bonheur and the present day'', assembled and edited by Walter Shaw Sparrow, is a book that lists an overview of prominent women painters up to 1905, the year of ...

''. After the death of their father in 1918, Smythe moved with her brother from France to London. She became a full member of the Royal Watercolour Society in 1937, where she exhibited 61 works. She also showed 21 paintings in total at the Royal Academy. Her last exhibition was in 1939. Smythe died in 1955 in St. Pancras, London. The collection of the Royal Watercolour Society includes a work by Smythe entitled ''Gorse.'' In 1997, one of her watercolours sold at

Christie's Christie's is a British auction house founded in 1766 by James Christie (auctioneer), James Christie. Its main premises are on King Street, St James's in London, and it has additional salerooms in New York, Paris, Hong Kong, Milan, Geneva, Shan ...

for US$2,300. She signed her works with an MS monogram, or alternatively as M. Smythe and Minnie Smythe.

Exhibitions

, 1 work *

Walker Art Gallery The Walker Art Gallery is an art gallery in Liverpool, which houses one of the largest art collections in England outside London. It is part of the National Museums Liverpool group. History The Walker Art Gallery's collection dates from 1819 ...

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

, 11 works *

Leicester Galleries Leicester Galleries was an art gallery located in London from 1902 to 1977 that held exhibitions of modern British, French and international artists' works. Its name was acquired in 1984 by Peter Nahum, who operates "Peter Nahum at the Leiceste ...

, 2 works *

Manchester Art Gallery Manchester Art Gallery, formerly Manchester City Art Gallery, is a publicly owned art museum on Mosley Street in Manchester city centre, England. The main gallery premises were built for a learned society in 1823 and today its collection occupi ...

, 2 works *

Royal Academy of Arts The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House in Piccadilly London, England. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its ...

, 21 works *

Royal Hibernian Academy The Royal Hibernian Academy of Arts (RHA) is an artist-based and artist-oriented institution in Ireland, founded in Dublin in 1823. Like many other Irish institutions, such as the Royal Irish Academy, the academy retained the word "Royal" after mo ...

, 2 works *

Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Watercolour The Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Watercolour (RSW) is a Scottish art society established in 1878. The current patron is Charles III. It is a registered charity based in Glasgow and holds an annual exhibition. The first preliminary meeting ...

, 1 work *

, 61 works *

, 1 work Source:

References

External links

ArtNet: More works by Smythe
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smythe, Minnie 1872 births 1955 deaths 20th-century British painters 19th-century British painters British watercolourists British landscape painters British women watercolourists British people of Dutch descent 20th-century British women painters 19th-century British women painters