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Lot Essay
When writing about art critic and poet Herbert Read (1893-1968), Ben Nicholson recalled, 'I met him first in the early 30s, & soon after he came to live in the Mall, (Belsize Park), nearly next door to Barbara Hepworth's and my studio & became one of our best friends, & a vital part of our small group which broke through the provincial barrier of London art & his understanding & support was invaluable' (B. Nicholson, Drafts for an article on Herbert Read by Ben Nicholson, August 1968, Tate Archive TGA 8717/3/1/21). The dedication written to Herbert Read and his wife Ludo on the reverse of the present work is evidence of this vital and enduring friendship between two of the leading figures in British art at that time.
Herbert Read's move to The Mall studios in 1933 marked the beginning of a lifelong friendship between him and Nicholson, as well as the group of artists living there such as Hepworth and Henry Moore. The small purpose-built studios off Parkhill Road were described by Jean Hélion as an 'English bateau-lavoir where Ben and many other young enthusiasts were working out a new art of restraint and subtlety' (quoted in M. de Sausmarez, Ben Nicholson: A Studio International Special, Studio International, London, 1969, p. 13). Read himself would describe the group as a 'nest of gentle artists' (Apollo, vol. 77, no. 7, September 1962, pp. 565-9).
Nicholson's own move to the studios two years earlier in 1931 had a major impact upon the artists living and working there. His and Hepworth's affiliation with Abstraction-Creation, a group of Parisian abstract artists, was evident in their work which tended towards an aesthetic of pure abstraction. This was in contrast to the figuration of Surrealism which was also prominent at that time. Read, however, embraced both movements, believing them to be the two major currents of modern art. This was expressed by Read in his introduction to Unit One's first and only exhibition in 1934, a group founded by Paul Nash which was dedicated to modern art in Britain.
These strands of Modernism also came together in the paintings of Catalan artist Joan Miró, whose influence upon Nicholson can be felt in the present work. Nicholson first saw Miró's work in Paris in 1932, and described its effect upon him as 'a new freedom ... a kind of liberation'. The ballet designs of the early 1930s were of particular interest to Nicholson. This influence upon Nicholson was reinforced when, in 1933, Miró's first London exhibition was shown at The Mayor Gallery, quickly to be followed in October that year by the gallery's group exhibition in connection with Read's book Art Now, in which Miró featured.
Herbert Read's move to The Mall studios in 1933 marked the beginning of a lifelong friendship between him and Nicholson, as well as the group of artists living there such as Hepworth and Henry Moore. The small purpose-built studios off Parkhill Road were described by Jean Hélion as an 'English bateau-lavoir where Ben and many other young enthusiasts were working out a new art of restraint and subtlety' (quoted in M. de Sausmarez, Ben Nicholson: A Studio International Special, Studio International, London, 1969, p. 13). Read himself would describe the group as a 'nest of gentle artists' (Apollo, vol. 77, no. 7, September 1962, pp. 565-9).
Nicholson's own move to the studios two years earlier in 1931 had a major impact upon the artists living and working there. His and Hepworth's affiliation with Abstraction-Creation, a group of Parisian abstract artists, was evident in their work which tended towards an aesthetic of pure abstraction. This was in contrast to the figuration of Surrealism which was also prominent at that time. Read, however, embraced both movements, believing them to be the two major currents of modern art. This was expressed by Read in his introduction to Unit One's first and only exhibition in 1934, a group founded by Paul Nash which was dedicated to modern art in Britain.
These strands of Modernism also came together in the paintings of Catalan artist Joan Miró, whose influence upon Nicholson can be felt in the present work. Nicholson first saw Miró's work in Paris in 1932, and described its effect upon him as 'a new freedom ... a kind of liberation'. The ballet designs of the early 1930s were of particular interest to Nicholson. This influence upon Nicholson was reinforced when, in 1933, Miró's first London exhibition was shown at The Mayor Gallery, quickly to be followed in October that year by the gallery's group exhibition in connection with Read's book Art Now, in which Miró featured.