John Firth Smith

Firth-Smith studied at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology before travelling extensively, and his work reflects a deep engagement with both the American abstract tradition and the specific sensory world of the Australian coast. He taught at the City Art Institute in Sydney and has been a respected and generous presence in the Australian art community across five decades.

His collaboration with Fred Genis was one of the longest and most prolific in the entire collection — spanning from the mid-1980s through to the mid-1990s across both the Kenthurst and Byron Bay studios. The sheer range and number of prints speaks to a creative partnership of genuine depth and mutual trust. The Large Banjo series, the Bottle and Boatportfolio of seven, the 1994 suite — Dreams, Yours, Ours, Make, Luck — and individual works including Sea Music, Shanty, Moon, Spirit, and Sun form a remarkable body of work that mirrors the sustained arc of his painting practice. Untitled for Fred, among them, is a quiet and personal dedication from one craftsman to another.

A video record of Firth-Smith speaking about his collaboration with Fred Genis preserves a firsthand account of this remarkable working relationship.

John Firth-Smith continues to live and work in Australia.