Ben Nicholson Quotes about Art

Ben Nicholson was a famous British painter and draftsman. He is best known for his paintings and reliefs that blurred the lines between still life and abstraction. Famous Ben Nicholson artworks include “1943-45 (St Ives, Cornwall)”, “April 57 (Arbia 2)”, “Sept 53 (Balearic)”, “1934-6 (Painting – Still Life)”, “August 1956 (Val d’Orcia)”, “1936 (White Relief)”, “July 27-53 (Ivory)”, “Feb 28-53 (Vertical Seconds)”, “Sept 8-54 (Torcello)”, “1946 (Still Life)” and “Fiddle and Spanish Guitar”.

Mini biography: Born Benjamin Lauder Nicholson on the 10th of April, 1894 in Denham, Buckinghamshire, England, United Kingdom of Great Britain. His mother was Mabel Pryde and his father Sir William Nicholson was an artist. Nicholson married Winifred Roberts in 1920 and they had three children together: Jake, Kate and Andrew Nicholson. They were divorced in 1938. He married his second wife sculptor Barbara Hepworth in 1938 and they had three children together: Sarah and Rachel, Simon. They divorced in 1951. Nicholson married his third wife German photographer Felicitas Vogler in 1957 and they divorced in 1977. The artist died on the 6th of February, 1982 in Hampstead, London, England at the age of 87.

List of Famous Ben Nicholson Art Quotes

Painting and religious experience are the same thing. It is a question of the perpetual motion of a right idea. Ben Nicholson

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

Satire is fascinating stuff. It’s deadly serious, and when politics begin to break down, there is a drift towards satire, because it’s the only thing that makes any sense. Ben Nicholson

I’m interested in locating the holy grail of the minimum means to express the most complex ideas. Ben Nicholson

I’m just interested in meditating on certain ideas, and I like to draw: that’s my way of thinking. Ben Nicholson

Any ideal system is its own worst enemy, and as soon as you start to implement visions of grandeur, they just fall apart and turn into tyranny. Ben Nicholson

Ben Nicholson Self-Portrait Painting

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Related or similar popular artists and celebrities include: Barbara Hepworth, Mark Rothko, Piet Mondrian, Henry Moore and other Famous British Painters.