Life
Born in Adelaide in 1921, Smart started drawing at an early age on anything he could find. "My parents would give me large sheets of paper, often the backs of posters or calendars … anything". In 1948 he travelled around Europe and studied in Paris at La Grand Chaumière and later the Académie Montmartre under Fernand Léger. "As my technique grew, I found I could paint those things I liked looking at, those slum streets behind the city apartments". In 1950 he lived on the island of Ischia in the bay of Naples, where he painted with Donald Friend, Michael Shannon and Jacqueline Hick. When he ran out of money in 1951, he moved to Sydney and spent the next 2 years there as art critic for the Daily Telegraph (1952–54), arts compere called Phidias for the ABC children’s radio programme, The Argonauts and as a drawing teacher at the National Art School (1956–62). From 1956 to 1962, he also presented on ABC-TV's Children's Hour. Smart, (then known just as "Jeff") was also employed by The King's School, Parramatta in 1954–1956 as an Art teacher, following Jean Bellette (known as Mrs Haefliger) and John Passmore.
He exhibited throughout this period at the Macquarie Galleries. In 1965 he returned to Italy, and has lived there ever since, regarding himself as an "Australian living abroad", carrying an Australian passport.
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