Project

Ben Nicholson

1943

Oil, graphite and paper collage on multiple boards, within the artist's constructed frame

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Subtle differences in color and layering make this work complex, though at first glance it may look simple. Creating a balanced composition with so few elements is challenging, but Nicholson succeeded. The collage’s muted tones were inspired by T. E. Lawrence’s account of his time in the Arabian desert during World War I, on which the film Lawrence of Arabia was based. Born to painter parents, Nicholson followed in their footsteps, pursuing art from a young age. He had his first solo exhibition when he was twenty-eight. Among his friends and colleagues he counted Henry Moore, Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, Piet Mondrian, and Constan