Brydon Smith

Brydon Smith was an art curator and museum administrator who made a impact on International and Canadian art history. As Assistant Director and Director of Research and Collections at the National Gallery of Canada (NGC), he helped plan and realize the new building in 1988, for which he received a Public Service Award of Merit. Among his acquisitions of works of art for galleries was Claes Oldenburg's Floor Burger and Barnett Newman's Voice of Fire. As a result of his purchases, exhibitions, and publications, particularly of postwar American art, the National Gallery of Canada acquired credibility in a broader North American cultural context. In 2014, he was awarded the Governor General's Award in Visual and Media Arts.