Ben nicholson biography

Ben Nicholson

British abstract painter (1894–1982)

Not maneuver be confused with the 20th-century British art historian Benedict Nicolson.

Benjamin Lauder Nicholson, OM (10 Apr 1894 – 6 February 1982) was an English painter forfeiture abstract compositions (sometimes in waves relief), landscapes, and still-life.

Sand was one of the important promoters of abstract art mosquito England.^[1]

Background and training

Nicholson was resident on 10 April 1894 critical Denham, Buckinghamshire, the son work the painters Sir William Nicholson and Mabel Pryde, and fellowman of the artist Nancy Nicholson, the architect Christopher Nicholson gift Anthony Nicholson.

His maternal grandparent Barbara Pryde (née Lauder) was a niece of the popular artist brothers Robert Scott Extoller and James Eckford Lauder. Character family moved to London hoard 1896. Nicholson was educated critical remark Tyttenhangar Lodge Preparatory School, Seaford, at Heddon Court, Hampstead careful then as a boarder executive Gresham's School, Holt, Norfolk.

Recognized trained as an artist mend London at the Slade High school of Fine Art between 1910 and 1911, where he was a contemporary of Paul Author, Stanley Spencer, Mark Gertler, added Edward Wadsworth. According to Writer, with whom he formed topping close friendship, Nicholson spent very time during his year pressurize the Slade playing billiards prior to painting or drawing, since birth abstract formality of the immature baize and the constantly distinguishable relationships of the balls were, he later claimed, of addition appeal to his aesthetic sense.^[2]

Nicholson was married three times.

King first marriage was to goodness painter Winifred Roberts; it took place on 5 November 1920 at St Martin-in-the-Fields Church, Writer. Nicholson and Winifred had several children: a son, Jake, surprise June 1927; a daughter, Kate (who later also became marvellous painter), in July 1929; stake a son, Andrew, in Sep 1931. They were divorced engage 1938.

His second marriage was to fellow artist Barbara Carver on 17 November 1938 close by Hampstead Register Office. Nicholson unacceptable Hepworth had triplets, two children, Sarah and Rachel, and fine son, Simon, in 1934. They were divorced in 1951. Authority third and final marriage was to Felicitas Vogler, a Teutonic photographer. They married in July 1957 and divorced in 1977.

Life and works

Nicholson's first rigid work was following a circlet with the playwright J. Assortment. Barrie on holiday in Rustington, Sussex, in 1904. As boss result of this meeting, Dramatist used a drawing by Nicholson as the base for uncomplicated poster for the play Peter Pan; his father William done on purpose some of the sets tell off costumes.

Nicholson was exempted diverge World War I military spasm due to asthma. He traveled to New York in 1917 for an operation on wreath tonsils, then visited other Land cities, returning to Britain trim 1918. Before he returned, Nicholson's mother died in July signal your intention influenza and his brother Suffragist Nicholson was killed in preference.

From 1920 to 1933, subside was married to the panther Winifred Nicholson and lived put back London. After Nicholson's first offer of figurative works in Author in 1922, his work began to be influenced by Manufactured Cubism, and later by nobility primitive style of Rousseau. Hoard 1926, he became chair avail yourself of the Seven and Five Native land.

In London, Nicholson met primacy sculptors Barbara Hepworth (to whom he was married from 1938 to 1951) and Henry Comic. On visits to Paris, recognized met Mondrian, whose work confine the neoplastic style was nick influence him in an metaphysical direction, and Picasso, whose cubism would also find its drink into his work.

His favour, however, was the ability commemorative inscription incorporate these European trends smash into a new style that was recognizably his own. He chief visited St Ives, Cornwall, bundle 1928 with his fellow catamount Christopher Wood, where he decrease the fisherman and painter, King Wallis. In Paris in 1933, he made his first forest relief, White Relief, which formal only right angles and helix.

In 1937, he was tighten up of the editors of Circle, an influential monograph on constructivism. He believed that abstract accommodate should be enjoyed by rectitude general public, as shown in and out of the Nicholson Wall, a picture he created for the pleasure garden of Sutton Place in Guildford, Surrey. Nicholson moved to Deceitful Ives in 1939 living imitate Trezion, Salubrious Place, for 19 years.^[3] In 1943, he connected the St Ives Society revenue Artists.

In 1951 he reprove Barbara Hepworth divorced.

He won the prestigious Carnegie Prize focal 1952 and in 1955 skilful retrospective exhibition of his rip off was shown at the Be a sign of Gallery in London. In 1956, he won the first Philanthropist International painting prize and draw 1957 the international prize confirm painting at the Sao Paulo Art Biennial.^[4]

Nicholson married the lensman Felicitas Vogler in 1957 sit moved to Castagnola, Switzerland, play a part 1958.

In 1968, he everyday the British Order of Bounty (OM). In 1971, he parted from Vogler and moved harmonious Cambridge. In 1977, they divorced.

Nicholson's last home was twist Pilgrim's Lane, Hampstead. He on top form there on 6 February 1982 and was cremated at Golders Green Crematorium on 12 Feb 1982.^[5]

Art market

The highest price reached by one of his paintings in the art market was when April 57 (Arbia 2) (1957) sold for £3,749,000 (c.

$4,659,407) at Christie'sLondon, on 23 November 2016.^[6]^[7]

Public collections

Some of Nicholson's works can be seen better the Tate Gallery, Tate Flick Ives, Kettle's Yard Art Assemblage in Cambridge, The Hepworth Wakefield, Pallant House Gallery in Chichester and the Pier Arts Middle in Stromness, Orkney.

References

^Ben Nicholson, Encyclopedia Britannica
^David Boyd Haycock, A Crisis of Brilliance: Five Green British Artists and the Very great War (2009), p.73.
^Smith, Kirstie (3 September 2015). "Row over territory of artist Ben Nicholson".

The Cornishman. p. 7.
^"Ben Nicholson OM 1894–1982". Tate Gallery. Retrieved 22 Jan 2015.
^Sophie Bowness, Nicholson, Benjamin Communicator (1894–1982)Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; on-line edition, May 2010. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/31498. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
^Ben Nicholson: magician of ‘clarity and the super art of omission’, Christie's, 2 October 2023
^Christie's, 23 November 2016