Ben Nicholson

Do you own a work by Ben Nicholson and would you like to know more about its value? Our Experts will carry out a free appraisal of your painting, to provide you with an estimate of the market price, then assist you to sell at the best price.

Status, estimate and price of the artist Ben Nicholson

Price of a painting:  7,900 – 1,100,000 €.

Price of a drawing: 3,100 – 3,700,000 €.

Price of a sculpture: 1,600 – 303,000 €.

Estimation of a print: 40 – 14,100 €.

Price of a tapestry: 1,100 – 14,800 €.

If you would like to have a Ben Nicholson work appraised, our experts will take care of everything.

The training of Ben Nicholson

A landscape painter from a family of painters, Ben Nicholson studied at the Slade School in London and in Pasadena, California. He travelled to France, Tours, and Milan from 1911 to 1913 to learn French and Italian. The little-known Vorticism, a branch of Futurism, was present in London during Nicholson’s time, but the influence of this movement on his art is certainly not very significant. The influence of his father, on the other hand, is far more significant in terms of his interest in still life. Landscapes were also one of his favourite subjects, which he never abandoned. He painted them figuratively until the 1930s. (Pitcher)

New influences

It was during his frequent trips to Paris that he discovered Picasso’s synthetic cubism. This influence led him to create his first abstract work, Chelsea, in 1924. In 1925 he joined the group of artists “7 & 5”, of which he became leader until his death in 1936. He discovered the painter Christopher Wood in 1928 and became passionate about the painter Alfred Wallis and his folded plans and simplified forms.

It was in 1930 that he met his second wife, Barbara Hepworth. She pushed him to develop his artistic research. They visited many well-known artists’ studios and befriended them, including Mondrian and Picasso. He borrowed the angular side of forms standing out against a background from cubism, with perspectives suggesting flat superimposed planes.

Nicholson and his wife joined the Abstraction-Creation group and painted his first abstract relief in 1933.

Three years later, he published an essay on constructivist art with Naum Gabo, Cercle. He was then a key figure in contemporary art.

Artistic journey and stylistic continuity

He left for Saint Yves de Cournouailles in 1939, on the eve of the war, and stayed there for 17 years. His work developed there without changing fundamentally. The colours he used were always close to those of natural elements. Nicholson also played with material effects. Unlike an artist such as Jean Arp, he sculpted his reliefs directly from the mass and never used a patchwork.

Relatively late-coming recognition

It was in the 1950s that official recognition from the art world came in the form of the Venice Biennale prize and the Rembrandt Prize in 1974.

Recognising Ben Nicholson’s signature

Like many artists, Ben Nicholson did not sign all of his works. However, you will find below an example of a signature in order to give you a first idea. Variations of this signature exist: do not hesitate to contact one of our experts to authenticate a signature in a formal way.

Appraising and selling a painting by Ben Nicholson

If you own a painting or any other sculpture by Ben Nicholson, ask for a free estimate via our online form.

You will then be contacted by a member of our team of experts and auctioneers to give you an independent view of the market price of your painting. In the event of a sale, our specialists will also advise you on the various options available to sell your work at the best price.