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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.
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