Majorelle Gardens

Larry Smart spent many years living in Marrakech in Morocco and his paintings of the Majorelle Gardens are some of his finest.

The Jardin Majorelle is a 12-acre oasis in the middle of Marrakech. It was created in traditional style by Jacques Majorelle, an illustrator and artist known for his paintings of the Berber people. However, it is the Jardin Majorelle that is his true masterpiece - it gave the world its own vibrant and distinctive colour: Majorelle blue. An intense cobalt that Larry Smart loved

Larry At Notting Hill Carnival

Every year since 1964 Larry’s old neighbourhood, Notting Hill, hosts the biggest and best street party in the world and this year Larry was there with us…Every year boards are put up to protect the shops and houses of the area. Street artists take this opportunity to get creative and provide an incredible, colourful backdrop to the most vibrant street party around. Hundreds of artists, putting their voice out there.Millions of people turn up to Carnival over the Bank Holiday and if you were outside the infamous sound system from ‘Gaz’s Rocking Blues’ on Talbot Road you may have seen this Jimi Hendrix artwork -

Watch 'Who Is Larry Smart'

Craig Sams, founder of Whole Earth and close friend of Larry's tells us about their lives in the sixties as well as details on our limited edition silk screen prints of the classic Lennon, Dylan and Hendrix.

Exhibition Gallery

The Larry Smart RETRO-spective was an astounding success. We saw fans come from far and wide to take a look at Larry’s work they remembered from their youth. We also saw a new wave of Larry Smart fans who had either seen the Hendrix on BBC’s hit TV show Miranda or love the retro 60s vibes of Lennon and Dylan.A big thank you goes to The Muse Gallery. The building was the old head offices for Whole Earth when at the time Larry was painting the imagery for the packaging. So, it was the ideal space to show his work.Since the exhibition we have discovered more original Larry Smart paintings and are looking forward to the next chapter. Here are some photos from the two week exhibition:

UncategorizedKitty NewmanAugust 18, 2017Craig Sams, Hendrix, Jimi Hendrix, Larry Smart, Muse Gallery, Retro-spective

Hendrix in aid of MIND

This is an exclusive opportunity to own an iconic, genuine, limited edition silk screen poster of Jimi Hendrix, signed by the late pop artist Larry Smart. This rare work of art has been made available to support the mental health charity MIND.

BlogTania SmithJune 14, 2017auction, charity, Hendrix, Jimi Hendrix, Larry Smart, Mind

'Dylan - Liquid Light' Limited Edition On Sale Now

We are very excited to announce that ‘Liquid Light’, a newly rediscovered Larry Smart original has been brought back to life and made available as a limited edition of 200 authenticated and numbered silk screen prints.Every print is numbered and embossed with a ‘Larry Smart’ seal imprint.This iconic image of Dylan was created in 1967, the year of the Summer of Love and the year Larry Smart’s son Sam was born. Sam is seen here holding a proof of ‘Liquid Light’ fresh from the printers.To purchase 'Liquid Light' visit our shop page

New Discovery

In April I went to Marrakech, primarily for a much needed break and a bit of sunshine, but also to see if we could find any of the paintings that Larry Smart did during the 15 years that he regularly visited the city. Many people commissioned him to paint their restored riads as he could so perfectly capture the sacred geometry that underpinned the design of the tiling and plasterwork. His understanding of the mechanics and principles of this geometry meant that he could paint an image that was faithful to the original design concept, preserving the symmetry and perspectives of the creators.

GETTING IT STRAIGHT IN NOTTING HILL GATE

Larry appears in this 1970 film 'Getting it Straight in Notting Hill Gate', a short film of psychedelic life in the Notting Hill of the time. You can see his colourful home at 12 minutes in.

Larry on Radio 6

Listen to Craig Sams talking about the 'Larry Smart RETRO-spective' exhibition in June on BBC Radio 6 Music. Skip to 43 mins for more insight into the work of Larry Smart plus background on the Bob Dylan poster we have recently discovered.First broadcast on 25th May 2017.

DO YOU OWN A MISSING LARRY?

The full extent of Larry’s work is not known and he died ten years ago, so we are keen to track down the ‘missing Larrys’. If you own a Larry Smart original painting or know where one is, please get in touch.

BlogTania SmithMay 26, 2017Larry Smart, 1960s art, Marrakech, Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Jimi Hendrix, screenprints, pop art

MANDALAS

Larry’s mandalas were the focus of light shows created by John Bloomfield, “Mr. Resistor.” The impact of the mandala was enhanced with pulsing light, increasing the op-art psychedelic effect of looking at his paintings. His mandalas were bought by Jimi Hendrix and George HarrisonJohn Bloomfield will be displaying his Larry Smart mandala at the exhibition in June along with a live psychedelic light show to help them 'perform'.

Larry Smart - Retro-Spective

'Larry Smart - Retro–Spective' is the first ever solo exhibition by iconic 60s pop artist Larry Smart.The works on display present an overview of the artist's work and includes: Hendrix and Lennon silkscreen prints; 60s mandala paintings with associated light show; Marrakech landscapes and townscapes; English landscapes; Whole Earth Foods packaging art; Hokusai 'wave' topiary.Original silkscreen prints of Larry’s work are on sale here.

Larry by Craig Sams

I first met Larry in 1967, when he was in the dance troupe Exploding Galaxy. They would perform free-style dance at the weekly hippie gathering, the UFO Club, in between sets by the Pink Floyd. They helped encourage everyone to ‘freak out’ their dancing style. In 1967 Larry married Carol Grimes, the blues and jazz singer who later performed with Lol Coxhill and the band Delivery, and they had a son, Sam. Delivery's debut performance was at our macrobiotic restaurant Seed in 1969. One of Larry's mandalas adorned their album cover.The Exploding Galaxy were part of a commune which lived in North London and took their name from a painting by Larry of the same name.

Follow Larry

Instagram @larrysmartart

BUY PRINTS • CONTACT • PRIVACY POLICY