About Pilar Pobil
The Story
Pilar Pobil (1926–2024) was a Spanish artist, writer, and storyteller whose vibrant home, Casa Pilar, became a living canvas for her creativity. She was born in Madrid, Spain and raised on the island of Mallorca. In 1956 she met her future husband, Walter Smith, and moved to Salt Lake City to raise a family with him.
Her entire life was defined by the creative pursuit of beauty. She designed and made clothing by hand; embroidered, crocheted and knitted; created magical gardens; painted furniture; wrote poetry; and was a wonderful cook - but it wasn't until her mid-forties that she began to pursue art as a career in earnest. With no formal training, she taught herself to sculpt and to paint, bringing vibrancy and expressive storytelling into everything she touched.
Over the next six decades, Pilar filled her world with bold color, symbolic imagery, and unflinching self-expression. Her home is not just where she lived — it’s a work of art in itself. Painted doorways, sculptures, and rooms alive with her paintings tell the story of a life fully claimed.
In 2016, Pilar Pobil was awarded the highest civilian honor by the King of Spain for her contributions to Spanish culture in the Americas. (La Cruz de la Orden de Isabel la Católica). She is an award-winning author and her paintings and sculptures are featured in public and private collections throughout Utah, the United States, Spain and Mexico.
Photo Gallery
 2023 at Art in Pilar's Garden, (Age 96) |  Photo from feature in the home section of the Salt Lake Tribune, Pilar cooking Paella, early 1970s |  Weber State University Retrospective of Pilar's Work, 2021 |
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 In 2016 Pilar was awarded a knighthood by the King of Spain, the "Real Orden de Isabel la Católica" |  Pilar with her daughters, Monica Pasqual and Maggie Smith. Springville Art Museum solo show in the early 1990s. |  Pilar and Walter in City Creek Canyon, photo by Maggie Smith, 1980 |
 Encouraging and mentoring high school students during a field trip to Pilar's garden |  Pilar Sculpting in the 1970s |  Watercolor painting near Walter and Pilar's vacation house in Guaymas, Mexico, 1980s |
 Walter and Pilar marriage portraits, 1956 |  Pilar directing the hanging of her painting at the University of Utah College of Humanities. "The Secret of Inspiration" |  "The Secret of Inspiration", Pilar's masterwork at the University of Utah College of Humanities |
 In her favorite place, the garden |  Pilar with her children, Luis, Monica and Maggie circa 1970 |  Young Pilar in Mallorca, Spain, 1950s |
 Pilar and her Great Dane, Mallorca, Spain, 1929 |  Pilar's first communion in Mallorca, Spain, mid 1930s |
