Nude, Fitzroy Street, No. 1
- Artist: Sir Matthew Smith
- Date: 1916
- Medium: Oil paint on canvas
- Dimensions: support: 870 x 765 x 20 mm
- Museum: Tate Britain
- Collection record: Tate Britain website
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About this artwork
This is the “Nude, Fitzroy Street, No. 1” by Sir Matthew Smith, painted in 1916. It’s part of a pair – the companion, “Nude, Fitzroy Street, No. 2,” shows the same model from the front, with a bit more detail in the background. Smith worked these out in his Fitzroy Street studio while still a member of the Artists’ Rifles. The model sits in a simple chair, arms raised, giving a relaxed yet poised pose that invites the eye to follow the sweep of her torso.
The painting feels modern for its time, echoing the bold outlines and broad strokes of French painters like Cézanne and the Fauvist circle led by Derain and Matisse. Smith uses complementary colours and a lively brushwork that make the figure pop against a muted interior backdrop. In 1916, the work was turned down by the London Group, but that rejection didn’t stop its impact – it remains one of Smith’s most sophisticated pieces from that period.
After the war, Smith’s output slowed; he didn’t paint much until a stay in Cornwall in 1920. This canvas, now in Tate Britain, offers a snapshot of a young artist pushing the boundaries of British modernism, combining traditional figure study with the vibrant energy of early 20th‑century French painting.
See it in person
Nude, Fitzroy Street, No. 1 is in the collection of Tate Britain on Millbank, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
