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Notes
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Ben Nicholson was one of the few artists working in England who reacted to the art of Matisse, Braque and Picasso, which he saw on his visits to France in the 1920s. However, he also acknowledged the influence of his family; his mother, his uncle, as well as his father, William Nicholson, were all painters. According to Ben Nicholson his interest in still life 'didn’t come from Cubism, as some people think, but from my father – not only from what he did as a painter, but from the very beautiful striped and spotted jugs and mugs and goblets and octagonal and hexagonal glass objects which he collected. Having these things throughout the house was an unforgettable experience for me.' In this painting, Nicholson takes the abstraction of these forms to its absolute limit.
Abbot Hall
Kendal
Title
1930–1936 (composition: still-life)
Date
1930–1936
Medium
oil on canvas
Measurements
H 50.5 x W 76 cm
Accession number
AH 254/63
Acquisition method
purchased with the assistance of the Victoria and Albert Museum Purchase Grant Fund, 1963
Work type
Painting
Inscription description
INSC. VERSO: BEN NICHOLSON, 1930-36
Abbot Hall
Kirkland, Kendal, Cumbria LA9 5AL England
-
1926 (still life – L.L.) The Ingram Collection of Modern British and Contemporary Art -
June 1961 (green goblet and blue square) National Galleries of Scotland: Modern -
March 1963 (Archimedes) National Galleries of Scotland: Modern -
January 1962 (white relief Paros) National Galleries of Scotland: Modern -
1967 (an almost green circle) National Galleries of Scotland: Modern -
1972 (Madingley no. 3) National Galleries of Scotland: Modern -
1964 (stone blocks, 2 circles and red) National Galleries of Scotland: Modern - 155 more