Ben Nicholson, O.M.

Galerie Lopes, Zurich

Bottrop, Quadrat Bottrop Modern Galerie, Ben Nicholson, 29th October - 10th December 1989.

The board is cradled on the reverse and appears to have been cradled at a similar time to the execution of the work as the artist's signature appears on part of the wooden cradle. There is a horizontal crack to the reverse of the artist's prepared board running across the bottom third of the composition, a small part of which is visible in the catalogue illustration to the bottom right corner of the relief. The crack appears to be period and it is most likely that the repair on the recto, to the right of the carved relief was carried out by the artist. There is a minor watermark in the bottom left corner of the prepared board, a line of surface staining in the upper left corner of the prepared board, visible in the catalogue illustration, some characteristic scuff marks and minor abrasions to the surface and some minor spots of staining to the white circle of the relief. There is also a light scratch to the centre of the upper edge of the relief, visible in the catalogue illustration, otherwise in good overall condition. Under ultraviolet light, there are some spots which flouresce to the white circle of the relief however, these are also most likely the hand of the artist. Held in its original simple wood slip frame. The colours are warmer than the catalogue illustration suggests.
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During the 1950's Nicholson and Hepworth had drifted apart, with both retaining independent studios and houses. In May 1957 a freelance radio journalist arrived in St.Ives to make a documentary about the town and the artists and, after Hepworth insisted that she ring Nicholson and arrange for an interview, Felicitas Vogler met Nicholson. She was in her mid-thirties and Nicholson sixty-three, but they struck up an immediate rapport and by July they were married. Nicholson had become increasingly disenchanted with the closeness and rivalries of the colony in St.Ives and the relationship with Vogler provided an active reason to leave.

In March 1958, Nicholson and Vogler left St.Ives and settled in Switzerland. Their first home, in the village of Ronco, outside Ascona, was small and the majority of the work which Nicholson produced were drawings. However, he soon began working on small carved reliefs and the change from the work in England is immediately noticeable. Perhaps the most obvious element is the apparent simplicity of the works, with a return to the geometric forms of the 1930's and 1940's. However, the way in which Nicholson uses the forms, and the subtle balances of geometry, surface and colour are entirely new and would shape the path of his paintings and reliefs throughout the remainder of his career.