Ivy Smith studied at Chelsea and the Royal Academy Schools (RA Gold Medal) Ivy has work in many public collections including the National Portrait Gallery, Graves Art Gallery Sheffield and Norwich Castle Museum. Awards include winner of John Player Portrait Award 1986, Arts Council Grants for the Arts 2005.Public commissions include a portrait of Sir David and Sir Richard Attenborough for the National Portrait Gallery 1987 (currently on show in the NPG’s 20th Century Display), the Jerwood Commission for the Royal College of Paediatrics 2000, paintings for East Belfast Community Hospital 2005 and for Salisbury District Hospital 2006.
Her solo exhibition Drawings for Paintings was shown at the Prince’s Drawing School Gallery 2007. In 2010 two of her drawings were included in the exhibition Identity at the Wellcome Collection London. In 2012 her painting The Golden Wedding (collection Norwich Castle Museum) toured to the Millenium Gallery Sheffield and the Laing Gallery Newcastle in the exhibition Family Matters. Recent solo shows include New Work at Mercer Chance Gallery, London 2016 and Watery Places, Church Street Gallery, Saffron Walden 2017. Recent participations include The Masters – Relief Prints 2016 and The Masters – Intaglio Prints 2017, both at Bankside Gallery London. She has taught at the Royal Drawing School since 2001.
