Ben Nicholson (English, 1894-1982)
Biography
Ben Nicholson was a pioneer of abstract painting in Britain and a key figure in the European avant-garde, collaborating with Picasso, Braque, Arp, Mondrian and others. Despite his thrive for innovation, he retained a strong sense of tradition and had a life-long devotion to landscape and still life, transforming traditional composition in his austere geometric language. Nicholson's influence as a propagator of avant-garde ideas in Britain cannot be overstated, among other achievements, he was central to the development of a modernist colony at St Ives. In 1951, he was commissioned to paint a mural for the Time-Life Building at the Festival of Britain; in 1964, he had a retrospective show at the Venice Biennale, and in 1955 and 1969, he had further retrospective exhibitions at the Tate.
Available works
Please see below the selection of available original artworks by Ben Nicholson.
POA
Pencil and oil wash on shaped card
18x25.5 cm
Framed: 35x43 cm
Signed, dated, and dedicated verso
Provenance:
The Artist, by whom gifted to Jeanne Coppel, Paris, and thence by descent to her son
His sale; Christie's, Paris, 11 December 2007
With Stephen Ongpin Fine Art, London, 2008
Private collection, Madrid
Private collection, UK
This small abstract drawing, dedicated to the Romanian artist working in Paris - Jeanne Coppel, is likely a Christmas present. This is signified by the date and the festive tape attached to the verso. Ben Nicholson spent a lot of time in Paris in the 1930s as his first wife Winifred Nicholson, with whom he had three children, moved there in 1932. In Paris, Ben and Winifred would visit many artists’ studios, it is likely that Ben and Jeanne ran in similar circles and would have met before the war.
POA
Pencil and oil wash on paper, shaped, on the artist's prepared board
45.4x56.5 cm
Provenance:
with Galerie Beyeler, Basel;
with Falchi Arte Moderna, Milan, where purchased in the 1970s;
Private collection
This is one the works that was made by Ben Nicholson on trip to Greece in October 1972 (or shortly thereafter). After visiting Greece for the first time in 1959, Nicholson felt a strong connection to the place and returned several times in the following decades. A specific interest for Nicholson was the interplay of natural and man-made forms in the Greek landscape. In this work the powerful motion of the sea takes the focus. The pencil and oil wash drawing is made on shaped paper and mounted on the artist’s prepared board.