Ben Nicholson, December 1957, for Jeanne Coppel, 1957
Technical Information:
Medium: pencil and oil wash on paper
Size: 18 by 25,5 cm
Framed: 35 by 43 cm
Signature: signed, dated and dedicated ‘for Jeanne Coppel / Ben Nicholson Dec 57’ on the reverse
Provenance:
The Artist, by whom, gifted to Jeanne Coppel, Paris, and thence by descent to her son
His sale; Christie's, Paris (2007)
Stephen Ongpin Fine Art, London (2008)
Private collection, Madrid
Private collection, UK
Additional Information:
This small abstract drawing, dedicated to the Romanian artist working in Paris - Jeanne Coppel, is likely a Christmas present. This is signified by the date and the festive tape attached to the verso. Ben Nicholson spent a lot of time in Paris in the 1930s as his first wife Winifred Nicholson, with whom he had three children, moved there in 1932. In Paris, Ben and Winifred would visit many artists’ studios, it is likely that Ben and Jeanne ran in similar circles and would have met before the war.