Richard Smith was a British painter known for his semi-sculptural abstract works that often resembled kites. Protruding from the gallery walls, Smith’s paintings extended the boundary of the medium while maintaining a dialogue with both Color Field painting and Pop Art. “What intrigued me wasn’t the nitty-gritty, down dirty popular culture,” he once explained. “It was the high end. These beautiful ads for Smirnoff vodka and glamorous films and store windows and CinemaScope.” Born on October 27, 1931 in Letchworth, United Kingdom, he attended Luton School of Art before serving in the Royal Air Force in Hong Kong. Smith went on to receive his MFA from the Royal College of Art in London, where he was awarded...