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Kurt Schwitters was born in Hannover, in Germany, and studied at the Dresden Academy of Art. Labelled a ‘Degenerate Artist’ by the Nazis, Schwitters fled Germany in January 1937. He followed his son to Norway, but was forced to flee once again when the Nazis invaded in 1940. Following a period of internment on the Isle of Man as a refugee, Schwitters eventually moved to the Lake District in June 1945 accompanied by his companion, Edith Thomas. Although best known for his abstract, ‘Merz’ works (a selection of which are on display on the back staircase, accessed from the other side of the shop), Schwitters also painted numerous figurative landscapes, as well as portraits, which he relied on for a meagre income. This work depicts the retired woodcutter, Mr Routledge, who was to become a close friend of the artist.