John Wells (1907-2000)

Biography

John Wells was an abstract painter associated with the St Ives group and a founding member of the Penwith Society of Artists. Born in London, Wells initially trained as a doctor at University College Hospital, though he also attended evening classes at St Martin’s School of Art.

From 1936 to 1945, he worked as a general practitioner in the Isles of Scilly. This location, 28 miles off the Cornish coast, provided many opportunities for him to connect with the St Ives artists. He would visit Ben Nicholson and Barbara Hepworth, who introduced him to Naum Gabo. Gabo became a significant and lasting influence on Wells. Many of Wells’ drawings from the 1940s engage with Constructivism, and this foundational structure remained evident in his later work, even as he reconfigured and loosened his compositions. Wells also drew inspiration from the medical field and the Royal Air Force flights he often watched above the Scilly Isles.

After World War II, Wells decided to pursue art full-time and moved to Newlyn, becoming a central figure in the Cornish artists' community. He was a co-founder of the Crypt Group and a founding member of the Penwith Society, a breakaway group from the St Ives Society of Artists. Wells became close friends with Peter Lanyon, as the two shared an interest in flight, aerial movements, and Cornwall’s prehistoric landscape.

Wells quickly gained recognition. By the late 1940s and early ‘50s, he was invited to submit work to key international shows, including the Salon des Réalités Nouvelles in Paris, the São Paulo Biennial, and the Annual Artists’ International Association Abstract Art Exhibition in New York. His international recognition continued with several shows at New York’s Durlacher Gallery in the 1950s and ‘60s.

Wells’ work is held in many important public and private collections, including the Tate, the Government Art Collection, the Yale Center for British Art, Pallant House Gallery, and the National Galleries of Scotland.

Related artists

Ben Nicholson / Terry Frost / Kathleen Guthrie / Sandra Blow / Tom Cross / Jeremy Annear / Adrian Heath / Roy Conn / George Dannatt / Alexander MacKenzie

Available works

Please see below the selection of available original artworks by John Wells.