Ben Nicholson: From the Studio, Hardcover

Throughout his career, Ben Nicholson (1894 - 1982) transformed everyday homewares into extraordinary experiments in abstract art. Nicholson's studio was filled with objects that inspired him. From patterned mocha-ware jugs and cut glass goblets to spanners, hammers and chisels, these ordinary personal possessions were a source of almost endless inspiration to the artist. This book brings together for the first time Nicholson's paintings, reliefs, prints and drawings alongside his rarely seen personal possessions and studio tools. It traces how the artist's style developed, from his early traditional tabletop still lifes to his later abstract works. Still life was at the heart of Nicholson's artistic practice. Through these humble items, he began to experiment with form and colour. His early works in particular owed inspiration to his father, the painter William Nicholson. The book traces the artistic and personal influences on Nicholson's evolutionary still life style from the 1920s to the 1970s. It explores his time with Winifred Nicholson and Barbara Hepworth, as well as his encounters with other Modernist greats, Pablo Picasso and Piet Mondrian.

About author(s):Lee Beard is an independent art historian and an expert on the art of Ben Nicholson. Louise Campbell is emeritus professor in art history at the University of Warwick. Simon Martin is a curator and writer and Director of Pallant House Gallery. Louise Weller is Head of Exhibitions at Pallant House Gallery. Edmund de Waal is an artist and writer.