Ben Nicholson
1894–1982
Introduction
Benjamin Lauder Nicholson, OM (10 April 1894 – 6 February 1982) was an English painter of abstract compositions (sometimes in low relief), landscapes, and still-life. He was one of the leading promoters of abstract art in his country.
Wikidata identifier
Q281637
Information from Wikipedia, made available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Accessed March 30, 2024.
Introduction
A modernist painter and sculptor who adopted the constructivist style in the 1930s, Nicholson is known primarily for his geometric Comment on works: abstract reliefs. He studied at the Slade School of Art 1910-1911, and spent most of the years 1911-1918 abroad. He married the painter Winifred Dacre (née Roberts) in 1920, and began experimenting with Comment on works: abstract painting in 1924. Also in that year he became a member of the Seven and Five Society in 1924 and was elected president in 1926. In 1928, under the influence of Alfred Wallis, he began to paint in a primitive style. He travelled to France in 1932 and 1933 in the company of the sculptor Barbara Hepworth. There he became acquainted with Arp, Miró, Mondrian, and Calder. In 1933 both Nicholson and Hepworth were invited to join the Abstraction-Création Group in Paris. He and Hepworth were married soon after, and during this period Nicholson began to make his signature carved reliefs. In 1937 he co-edited the magazine "Circle" with Naum Gabo. In 1939 he and Hepworth relocated from London to Cornwall. The second world war interrupted their association with the international modernist movement, but Nicholson continued to develop his work, and introduced color to his reliefs and revisted landscape themes. Through the 1950s Nicholson continued to exhibit and garner awards. In 1957 he married Felicitas Vogler. They moved to Ticino in 1958. The Tate Gallery mounted his second retrospective in 1969. He left Vogler and returned to England in 1971, where he continued to work until his death in 1982. Comment on works: abstract
Country of birth
United Kingdom
Roles
Artist, graphic artist, painter, sculptor
ULAN identifier
500005137
Names
Ben Nicholson, Benjamin Lauder Nicholson
Information from the Getty Research Institute's Union List of Artist Names ® (ULAN), made available under the ODC Attribution License. Accessed March 30, 2024.
