Horizon VI (blue, purple, green), Richard Smith (1931–2016), 1970, color lithograph, 23 x 30 in., signed and numbered 65/75
A bold 1970 color lithograph by Richard Smith titled Horizon VI (blue, purple, green), pencil signed and numbered 65/75 from an edition of 75. This striking modernist abstraction juxtaposes gestural green mark-making with architectural purple geometry and a diagonal white bar. A significant example of Smith’s transatlantic printmaking period, acquired through Mitch Morse Gallery and now held by Artfind Gallery, Washington DC.
Artwork Description
Horizon VI (blue, purple, green) is an original 1970 color lithograph by Richard Smith, issued in a limited edition of 75 impressions and pencil signed and dated lower margin, numbered 65/75. The sheet measures 23 x 30 inches with natural deckled edges, consistent with fine art printmaking of the period.
The composition reflects Smith’s dynamic exploration of space, surface, and structure. A saturated green field—built from layered, energetic scribble-like marks—dominates the lower portion of the sheet. These gestural strokes create a dense, almost atmospheric plane, suggestive of landscape while remaining fully abstract. Emerging above and within this field is a bold purple rectilinear form, architectural in character, intersected by a sharply angled white bar. The diagonal element slices across the composition, introducing tension and spatial depth.
This work embodies the central duality in Smith’s practice: the meeting of painterly spontaneity and industrial precision. The green passages exhibit lithographic crayon texture and tonal modulation, confirming the medium as lithography rather than screenprint. The crisp geometry contrasts deliberately with the organic energy beneath it.
Created during a pivotal moment in Smith’s career—when he was working extensively between Britain and the United States—this print reflects his engagement with American color-field painting while retaining a distinctly British structural sensibility. The Horizon series explores visual thresholds and spatial interruption, suggesting both physical and conceptual boundaries.
The edition size of 75 aligns with documented impressions from 1970. Pencil signature, date, and numbering appear authentic and consistent with Smith’s practice.
Artist Biography
Richard Smith (1931–2016) was one of the most important figures in post-war British abstraction. Born in Letchworth, Hertfordshire, he studied at St Albans School of Art before enrolling at the Royal College of Art in London, where he was a contemporary of Peter Blake and Allen Jones. His early work absorbed the impact of American abstraction, particularly Color Field painting, yet he developed a highly distinctive language that combined spatial illusion, structural form, and graphic clarity.
A Harkness Fellowship allowed Smith to spend extended periods in the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. This transatlantic experience profoundly shaped his practice. He engaged directly with the scale, color, and ambition of American painting while maintaining a disciplined architectural sensibility rooted in British design traditions.
By the mid-1960s, Smith was internationally recognized. He represented Great Britain at the Venice Biennale in 1970, the same year Horizon VI was produced. His work was exhibited widely across Europe and the United States, and he later participated in the landmark 1976 British Pavilion at the Venice Biennale alongside Bridget Riley and Bernard Cohen.
Smith’s practice expanded beyond canvas into shaped and three-dimensional paintings that challenged the boundary between painting and object. He experimented with industrial materials, billboard aesthetics, and spatial extensions that projected into the viewer’s environment. His prints from the late 1960s and early 1970s distill these concerns into graphic, editioned works that retain the tension of his larger constructions.
His works are held in major institutional collections including Tate, the Museum of Modern Art (New York), the British Council Collection, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and numerous international public collections. By 2026, Smith remains recognized as a key bridge between British modernism and American abstraction, and his print editions from 1970 are actively traded in both gallery and auction markets.
Horizon VI represents a mature moment in his printmaking career, capturing his signature interplay of gesture and structure during a year of major international recognition.
Richard Smith (1931–2016)
Horizon VI (blue, purple, green), 1970
Color lithograph on paper
23 x 30 inches
Signed and dated in pencil; numbered 65/75
Edition of 75
Certificate of Authentication
This certifies that Horizon VI (blue, purple, green) is an original color lithograph created in 1970 by Richard Smith (1931–2016). The work is pencil signed, dated, and numbered 65/75 from the published edition of 75 impressions.
Acquired from Mitch Morse Gallery and currently held by Artfind Gallery, Washington DC.
Guaranteed authentic.
Condition
Very good vintage condition. Deckled edges intact. Minor age toning to margins and slight handling wear consistent with age. Image area strong and vibrant with no visible tears to the printed field.
Provenance
Richard Smith
Mitch Morse Gallery, New York (acquired in NYC, United States and Europe)
Artfind Gallery, Washington DC (current owner)
Sources: Tate Collection artist record; Museum of Modern Art collection record; British Council Collection; Venice Biennale archives; auction records (Sotheby’s, Christie’s, Bonhams).
Horizon VI (blue, purple, green), Richard Smith (1931–2016), 1970, color lithograph, 23 x 30 in., signed and numbered 65/75
A bold 1970 color lithograph by Richard Smith titled Horizon VI (blue, purple, green), pencil signed and numbered 65/75 from an edition of 75. This striking modernist abstraction juxtaposes gestural green mark-making with architectural purple geometry and a diagonal white bar. A significant example of Smith’s transatlantic printmaking period, acquired through Mitch Morse Gallery and now held by Artfind Gallery, Washington DC.
Artwork Description
Horizon VI (blue, purple, green) is an original 1970 color lithograph by Richard Smith, issued in a limited edition of 75 impressions and pencil signed and dated lower margin, numbered 65/75. The sheet measures 23 x 30 inches with natural deckled edges, consistent with fine art printmaking of the period.
The composition reflects Smith’s dynamic exploration of space, surface, and structure. A saturated green field—built from layered, energetic scribble-like marks—dominates the lower portion of the sheet. These gestural strokes create a dense, almost atmospheric plane, suggestive of landscape while remaining fully abstract. Emerging above and within this field is a bold purple rectilinear form, architectural in character, intersected by a sharply angled white bar. The diagonal element slices across the composition, introducing tension and spatial depth.
This work embodies the central duality in Smith’s practice: the meeting of painterly spontaneity and industrial precision. The green passages exhibit lithographic crayon texture and tonal modulation, confirming the medium as lithography rather than screenprint. The crisp geometry contrasts deliberately with the organic energy beneath it.
Created during a pivotal moment in Smith’s career—when he was working extensively between Britain and the United States—this print reflects his engagement with American color-field painting while retaining a distinctly British structural sensibility. The Horizon series explores visual thresholds and spatial interruption, suggesting both physical and conceptual boundaries.
The edition size of 75 aligns with documented impressions from 1970. Pencil signature, date, and numbering appear authentic and consistent with Smith’s practice.
Artist Biography
Richard Smith (1931–2016) was one of the most important figures in post-war British abstraction. Born in Letchworth, Hertfordshire, he studied at St Albans School of Art before enrolling at the Royal College of Art in London, where he was a contemporary of Peter Blake and Allen Jones. His early work absorbed the impact of American abstraction, particularly Color Field painting, yet he developed a highly distinctive language that combined spatial illusion, structural form, and graphic clarity.
A Harkness Fellowship allowed Smith to spend extended periods in the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. This transatlantic experience profoundly shaped his practice. He engaged directly with the scale, color, and ambition of American painting while maintaining a disciplined architectural sensibility rooted in British design traditions.
By the mid-1960s, Smith was internationally recognized. He represented Great Britain at the Venice Biennale in 1970, the same year Horizon VI was produced. His work was exhibited widely across Europe and the United States, and he later participated in the landmark 1976 British Pavilion at the Venice Biennale alongside Bridget Riley and Bernard Cohen.
Smith’s practice expanded beyond canvas into shaped and three-dimensional paintings that challenged the boundary between painting and object. He experimented with industrial materials, billboard aesthetics, and spatial extensions that projected into the viewer’s environment. His prints from the late 1960s and early 1970s distill these concerns into graphic, editioned works that retain the tension of his larger constructions.
His works are held in major institutional collections including Tate, the Museum of Modern Art (New York), the British Council Collection, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and numerous international public collections. By 2026, Smith remains recognized as a key bridge between British modernism and American abstraction, and his print editions from 1970 are actively traded in both gallery and auction markets.
Horizon VI represents a mature moment in his printmaking career, capturing his signature interplay of gesture and structure during a year of major international recognition.
Richard Smith (1931–2016)
Horizon VI (blue, purple, green), 1970
Color lithograph on paper
23 x 30 inches
Signed and dated in pencil; numbered 65/75
Edition of 75
Certificate of Authentication
This certifies that Horizon VI (blue, purple, green) is an original color lithograph created in 1970 by Richard Smith (1931–2016). The work is pencil signed, dated, and numbered 65/75 from the published edition of 75 impressions.
Acquired from Mitch Morse Gallery and currently held by Artfind Gallery, Washington DC.
Guaranteed authentic.
Condition
Very good vintage condition. Deckled edges intact. Minor age toning to margins and slight handling wear consistent with age. Image area strong and vibrant with no visible tears to the printed field.
Provenance
Richard Smith
Mitch Morse Gallery, New York (acquired in NYC, United States and Europe)
Artfind Gallery, Washington DC (current owner)
Sources: Tate Collection artist record; Museum of Modern Art collection record; British Council Collection; Venice Biennale archives; auction records (Sotheby’s, Christie’s, Bonhams).
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