FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August, 2012
CONTACT: Eileen McMonagle
(610) 827-7414 x14
emcmonagle@yellowsprings.org

Historic Yellow Springs Presents

Retrospective show of the work of G. Ralph Smith

When: September 7th through 23rd, 2012 Opening Friday September 7th from 5:30 to 7:30pm
Where: Lincoln Galleries, Historic Yellow Springs, Chester Springs, PA
Open: Weekdays 9am to-4pm, Saturday and Sunday 12am-4pm
Cost: FREE
Historic Yellow Springs will be hosting the first comprehensive show of the works of the late Philadelphia artist
G. Ralph Smith (1907-2007). Smiths work spans the 20th century with a unique signature style that reflects a
broad range of influences from Pennsylvania Impressionism to Abstract Modernism. G. Ralph Smiths work is
part of the permanent collections of a number of museums, including the Philadelphia Museum of Art,
Woodmere Art Museum, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Columbus Museum of Art, and the National
Academy of Design.
Smith, born in Ohio, graduated from the Columbus Art School in 1929. He was accepted into the Pennsylvania
Academy of Fine Arts in 1933 and was later awarded the Cresson Traveling Fellowship, which allowed him to
study art throughout Europe. G. Ralph Smith was also a student at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts
Country School in Chester Springs (now the village of Historic Yellow Springs).
He is well known for his series of lithographs done during the 1930s through the WPA. Smith was also an
accomplished illustrator working for St Nicholas magazine and Strawbridge and Clothier in Philadelphia. A long
time resident of Germantown, PA, Smith worked closely with Woodmere Art Museum for 35 years and painted
every day until he passed away at age 100. His style has many of the aspects of abstract realism and his
sense of structure and color emphasized the intrinsic quality of the objects he painted, whether it was the
human figure, a beautiful still life, or the elements of a majestic landscape.
The show will be open for three weeks in September and the majority of the works, both framed and unframed,
will be available for purchase. Many of these works have never been seen. This is a unique opportunity to be
a part of the growing popularity and interest in the 20th century artists who lived and worked in the greater
Philadelphia area.
About Historic Yellow Springs: Historic Yellow Springs (HYS) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1974
and dedicated to the visual arts, the environment, and the villages 300-year old history. The mission of Historic
Yellow Springs is to share, preserve, and celebrate the unique living village of Yellow Springs. Focusing on the
visual arts, history and the environment, HYS enriches the lives of all who come here.

PO BOX 62 1685 Art School Road, Chester Springs, PA 19425 610-827-7414 www.yellowsprings.org