Howard Smith, an African American artist and collector, was born on April 17, 1928, in Moorestown, New Jersey, USA. Throughout his career, he lived in Finland, with the exception of the years 1976–1984, when he was invited to teach at Scripps College in Claremont, California.
As a young adult, Smith served with U.S. occupation forces in postwar Japan, Korea, and Germany. After his military service, he briefly studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Smith came to Finland in 1962, when he co-organized an international youth exhibition featuring American artists.
Within a year, he mounted his first solo exhibition at Matti Viherjuuri’s Galleria Pinx. Drawn to the signature “less is more” aesthetic of Finnish design, its tradition of skilled craftsmanship, and its appreciation for handcrafted objects, he soon earned the respect of a wide circle of Finnish artists, architects, and designers, including Kaj Franck, Aarno Ruusuvuori, Juhani Pallasmaa, Yrjö Sotamaa, and Antti and Vuokko Nurmesniemi.
Curriculum Vitae
Howard Smith worked with paper, pigments, wood, clay, textiles, and metal. His work also included designs for commercial production, such as printed textiles for Vallila and tableware and interior objects for Arabia, the renowned ceramics manufacturer in Helsinki. He also created interior designs for corporate offices, public buildings, and cruise ships. Smith especially enjoyed repurposing materials such as scrap metal, used cardboard, and discarded clothing, transforming them into whimsical compositions.
Howard Smith’s work reflects the same energy and generosity that characterized him as a person. His distinctive style is recognizable through bold lines and forms, rich colors, and playful combinations of different materials. Many of his works also feature what he called “glyphs”—vibrant figures that often resemble the human form in moments of celebration.
Howard Smith was awarded the Finnish State Design Prize in 2001 and received a State Artist’s Pension in 2003. His works can be found in several museum collections in Finland and the United States, including the Finnish National Gallery Ateneum Art Museum, EMMA – Espoo Museum of Modern Art, the Museum of African American Art in Los Angeles, and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
The great paradox of his final years was that, after opening the eyes of so many through his work and varied collections, he lost his sight to glaucoma. Undaunted, he continued to work through his sense of touch.
Howard Smith died at his home in Fiskars, Finland, on February 4, 2021, at the age of 92.
The database of Howard Smith’s works is now open!
The project of building a database of Smiths oeuvre was launched in 2024 and was originally meant to serve museums, researchers and galleries. However we soon realised there was quite a lot of interest even from the larger public and so we decided to open it for everyone. With already more than 500 catalogued works and photos in the database, we now have the pleasure to invite you to dive into the world of Howard Smith. The work continues. As many of you know Howard was extremely productive and there are still numerous works to be added. We are also mapping out works in museums and are interested in works in private collections, so please let us know if you have any.
We hope that the database can serve as a valuable source of inspiration for many and surely it will help in organizing future exhibitions.
A special thank you for those who have made this project possible: Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation, The Swedish Cultural Foundation in Finland and Sophie von Julins Foundation.
Article about the project in Swedish: https://www.vastranyland.fi/artikel/howard-smiths-livsverk-dokumenteras-i-databas/
