Smyth attended
Princeton University, where he earned his BA (1938), MFA (1941), and PhD (1956), all in art history. He joined the naval reserve during
World War II, and soon became part of the
Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives division. As an MFAA officer, in 1945 he established the Allied
collecting point in Munich. After the war, he led the first academic program in
conservation in the United States at the
New York University Institute of Fine Arts (1950-1973). He was also the director of
Harvard University's Center for Italian Renaissance Studies at
Villa I Tatti in Florence (1973-1985). He was a member of both the
American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1978) and the
American Philosophical Society (1979). ==Works and publications==