Anno Smith

Anno Smith (1915 – 1990) was a ceramist from Groningen who, after a study trip through Italy, devoted himself to making facade decorations. In the period after World War II, he decorated many facades of schools, flats and shops in several neighbourhoods in Groningen with ceramic reliefs and sculptures.

Though his work has started to attract more attention in recent years, it is also threatened. This stems from the fact that residential and other post-war reconstruction buildings are nowadays often subject to redesignation or even demolition. Luckily it is increasingly proving possible to save Anno Smith’s ceramic art when it is discovered on such buildings and – whenever the circumstances allow it – indeed relocate it.