Ben Nicholson (1894-1982) was the first English painter to create geometrical abstract paintings and reliefs that directly contributed to the international abstract movement.

Ben Nicholson was born near Uxbridge, England, on the outskirts of London, on April 10, 1894. His father, William Nicholson, and his uncle, James Pryde, were leading painters of their generation in England, and his mother was also a painter. Nicholson had little formal artistic training, except for one term at the Slade School of Fine Arts in London in 1911, where he began working with jugs, cups, mugs and bottles, frequent subjects of his later work. Nicholson left the school because he was dissatisfied with the provincial character of painting taught there and wanted to find his own way.

Influenced by Cubism

After traveling in Europe, Nicholson went to Pasadena, California, in 1921. While there, he saw his first Cubist work -- a painting by Picasso. He later...