Ben Nicholson (British, 1894 to 1982)
Ben Nicholson was born in 1894, the first son of his artisan mother Mabel Pryde and Sir William Nicholson. Nicholson studied at the Slade School of Fine Art in London for about a year in 1910, and traveled for years thereafter. In the 1920s, Nicholson went to Paris where he experienced modern art for the first time, specifically that of Pablo Picasso. Most celebrated for his unique style of synthetic cubism, he rarely deviated from his own personal standards. In 1939 he moved to Cornwall, where the open landscapes and beautiful lighting clearly influenced his work. Nicholson was awarded the Order of Merit by Queen Elizabeth in 1968.
Information courtesy of Skinner, Inc., March, 2007.