Theatre Décor & Design

Mervyn Smith is best known for his life as an architect to artist whose innovative landscapes and expressive paintings revolutionised the perception of Australian watercolour art. Born in Sydney, Smith trained as an architect and worked as a town planner in Newcastle. He came to live in South Australia in 1943 and gained recognition as one of Australia's prominent watercolour artists, receiving a series of awards for both watercolour and drawing. Smith often exhibited alongside his wife, the esteemed artist and teacher Ruth Tuck OAM (b.1914 – d.2008). Together, they raised three children: a son and twin daughters. From his first exhibition in 1947 until 1993 his works were shown extensively in many solo and group exhibitions nationally.

Whilst in South Australia, Smith designed post offices, telephone exchanges and Adelaide Airport terminal buildings. In 1984 he was awarded with a Merit Award from the Royal Australian Institute of Architects. After retiring from architecture, he dedicated himself entirely to his art and served as President of the Royal South Australian Society of Arts from 1967 to 1970.

Smith charmingly captured the building process of Festival Centre in 1973 with his painting, The Construction of the Festival Centre.

One of Adelaide’s greatest theatres, the Theatre Royal in Hindley Street featured a blue domed ceiling with a galaxy of gold painted stars and lush white and gold seats with red embroidery. The theatre had its first performance in 1868 and was demolished ninety-four years later in 1962 to build a carpark. Countless shows were produced there, hosting major stars such Sarah Bernhardt, Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh. It was the first theatre in South Australia to have a public film screening in 1896.