Sir William Nicholson (1872-1949)

The Vale of Health, Hampstead

Details

Sir William Nicholson (1872-1949)
The Vale of Health, Hampstead
signed, dated and inscribed 'Hampstead Nicholson 1912' (lower left), signed again 'Nicholson' (on the reverse)
oil on canvas
23 x 21 in. (60.5 x 55.3 cm.)

Provenance

with Beaux Arts Gallery, London.
G.A. Hutchinson, 1956.
Anon. sale; Sotheby's, 25 June 1975, lot 17.

Literature

L. Browse, Nicholson, London, 1956, no.122.

Exhibited

London, New English Art Club, Special Retrospective Exhibition, 1925, no. 4.
Manchester, City Art Gallery, N.E.A.C. Retrospective Exhibition 1886-1924, 1925, no. 204.
London, Beaux Arts Gallery, Pictures and Drawings by William Nicholson, 1927, no. 76.
London, Beaux Arts Gallery, Important Exhibition of Gallery Pictures by Leading Artists, 1928, no. 14.
London, Beaux Arts Gallery, Retrospective Exhibition of Paintings by William Nicholson, 1933, no. 27.
Nottingham, Museum and Art Gallery, Retrospective Exhibition of Paintings by William Nicholson, 1933, no. 59.
Manchester, City Art Gallery, Works by William Nicholson, 1933, no. 17.
Scarborough, Public Library, Retrospective Exhibition of Paintings by Prints by William Nicholson, 1933, no. 68.
Belfast, Municipal Museum and Art Gallery, Loan Exhibition of Paintings and Prints by William Nicholson, 1934, no. 44: this exhibition travelled to Lincoln, no. 37; and Newark, Municipal Museum, no. 36.
London, Beaux Arts Gallery, Exhibition of Early Paintings by Richard Sickert and William Nicholson, 1939, no. 33.
London, Roland Browse and Delbanco, Pictures by William Nicholson and Josef Herman, 1948, no. 62.
London, Christie's, New English Art Club Centenary Exhibition, August-September 1986, no. 78 (illustrated).

Lot Essay

Sir William Nicholson was the father of Ben Nicholson, and the brother- in-law of James Pryde, with whom he designed posters and graphic works as The Beggarstaff Brothers between 1883-9. He was a prolific portraitist from 1903, and was a founder member of the National Portrait Society in 1911. He was an extremely accomplished and popular painter of still lifes and landscape.

The Vale of Health is situated in the south-west corner of Hampstead Heath. Originally a marshy wasteland, it was tranformed into an area of fasionable residences in the late eighteenth century. By 1802 the name 'Vale of Health' had appeared and by the late nineteenth century it attracted many visitors, had two hotels and held a weekly fair (see lot 162).

We are very grateful to Patricia Reed for her assistance in preparing this catalogue entry.

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