James Fox TV - Ben Nicholson - Fake or Fortune? TV -
From the moment she met Ben Nicholson, Barbara [Hepworth] abandoned her figurative style and converted to Ben’s modernist cause. Dr James Fox, The Art of Cornwall, BBC 2010
With Nicholson and Hepworth the new outpost of international modernism had been formed here. ibid.
Garbo was an even more unlikely presence in Cornwall than Hepworth and Nicholson. ibid.
A wave of young artists now poured into St Ives. ibid.
The Festival of Britain was a blueprint for the world of tomorrow. And the nation’s artists were all asked to contribute. None however had quite the impact of Barbara’s monumental work Contrapunctal Forms. ibid.
He [Ben] was insanely jealous. Spurred on by this the 1950s became a prolific period for Ben too. He exhibited around the world. His work was snapped up by the best museums. And he won virtually every international prize going. Critics even dubbed him the British Picasso. ibid.
The break with Ben was the most traumatic event in Barbara’s life. ibid.
The cardboard paintings of Cornish boats by Alfred Wallis, graceful and tasteful abstractions from Ben Nicholson, and the quirky paintings of harbours by Christopher Wood. ibid.
The kind of painting which I find exciting is not necessarily representational or non-representational, but it is musical and architectural ... Whether this visual relationship is slightly more or slightly less abstract is, for me, beside the point. Ben Nicholson
Can we prove this is a work by celebrated British artist William Nicholson? A damning ruling has divided art work opinion. Our investigation takes us to the dark side of the art market. Fake or Fortune? s7e1: Nicholson
William Nicholson was one of the leading British artists of his generation. Born in 1872 he began his career as a graphic artist before forging success as a painter. Over 50 years he created nearly 900 oil paintings from informal portraits to haunting landscapes. ibid.
‘I regret to inform you that I do not find that there is sufficient evidence to attribute this work to William Nicholson.’ ibid.
Could a work painting on the wall of this Surrey cottage be by one of the pioneers of abstract art, Ben Nicholson? Fake or Fortune s10e1: Ben Nicholson
‘We are of the opinion that this work does contain elements consistent with the work of Ben Nicholson. However, We strongly believe parts of the composition are by a different hand.’ ibid. expert
Worth between £50-100,000. ibid.