Kate Nicholson

Gordon Hepworth Fine Art, Newton St. Cyre, where acquired by the late owners, 29 April 2000

Chy an Kerris was the name of Ben Nicholson and Barbara Hepworth’s house in Carbis Bay where Kate Nicholson was a regular visitor (see previous lot for more information). What is remarkable even in very early works like Mug and Flowers, Chy an Kerris is how Kate Nicholson has absorbed ideas from both parents, but is never dominated by them and her own individual character shines through. Nevertheless Kate Nicholson gained much from spending time with Ben, later writing that she learned more from him that she did at art school, and in one thank you letter writing, ‘Thank you v. much for having me to stay for such a long time and helping me with my painting. You can do quite a lot of painting by yourself but you often don’t see how you can get them better. Just having some one else to look at them when they are finished means you can carry them a stage further’ (quoted in Jovan Nicholson, Kate Nicholson, Philip Wilson Publishers, London, 2019, p. 15).

Jovan Nicholson