Skip navigation

Main menu

  • What's on
  • Art & Artists
    • The Collection
      Artists
      Artworks
      Art by theme
      Media
      Videos
      Podcasts
      Short articles
      Learning
      Schools
      Art Terms
      Tate Research
      Art Making
      Create like an artist
      Kids art activities
      Tate Draw game
  • Visit
  • Shop
Become a Member
  • DISCOVER ART
  • ARTISTS A-Z
  • ARTWORK SEARCH
  • ART BY THEME
  • VIDEOS
  • ART TERMS
  • SCHOOLS
  • TATE KIDS
  • RESEARCH
  • Tate Britain
    Tate Britain Free admission
  • Tate Modern
    Tate Modern Free admission
  • Tate Liverpool + RIBA North
    Tate Liverpool + RIBA North Free admission
  • Tate St Ives
    Tate St Ives Ticket or membership card required
  • FAMILIES
  • ACCESSIBILITY
  • SCHOOLS
  • PRIVATE TOURS
Tate Logo
Become a Member
  • Art and Artists
  • Tate Archive
  • Collections of Digitised Archive Items
  • Ben Nicholson papers

Ben Nicholson papers

1903–82

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Email
  • Pinterest

Available to view online are a selection of items from the personal papers of Ben Nicholson including writings, correspondence and photographs. The manuscripts that have been selected have been written by Nicholson over a large time frame, spanning from the mid 1930s to the early 1980s and cover Nicholson's thoughts on his own art and other artists. The digitised correspondence is between Nicholson and his father, William Nicholson. Furthermore there is a selection of photographs of Ben Nicholson with his friends and family together they provide an insight into his relationship with his father and with his family.

Also available online is correspondence from Henry Moore to Ben Nicholson.

Further details on this collection are available on the archive catalogue.

Collection Owner
Ben Nicholson OM 1894–1982
Collection
Tate Archive
Acquisition
Purchased by the Tate Archive from Ben Nicholson's executors in 1987.
Reference
TGA 8717

233 objects in this collection

  • Ben Nicholson papers

    233 Objects

    • Correspondence

      79 Objects

    • Writings and documentation on and by Ben Nicholson

      32 Objects

    • Photographs

      122 Objects

Title
Ben Nicholson papers
Date
1903–82
Description
Available to view online are a selection of items from the personal papers of Ben Nicholson including writings, correspondence and photographs. The manuscripts that have been selected have been written by Nicholson over a large time frame, spanning from the mid 1930s to the early 1980s and cover Nicholson's thoughts on his own art and other artists. The digitised correspondence is between Nicholson and his father, William Nicholson. Furthermore there is a selection of photographs of Ben Nicholson with his friends and family together they provide an insight into his relationship with his father and with his family.

Also available online is correspondence from Henry Moore to Ben Nicholson.

Further details on this collection are available on the archive catalogue.
Reference
TGA 8717

Showing 21–40 of 233 objects

Letter to Ben Nicholson in USA from his father William, with envelope

Sir William Nicholson, recipient: Ben Nicholson OM
20 December 1917

Letter to Ben Nicholson from his father William, discussing Edie Stuart-Wortley, Nancy Nicholson and Robert Graves, and William Nicholson’s portrait of Reverend Hughes

Sir William Nicholson, recipient: Ben Nicholson OM
31 December 1917

Letter to Ben Nicholson in Pasadena, California, from his father William providing a detailed account of the wedding between Nancy Nicholson and Robert Graves

Sir William Nicholson, recipient: Ben Nicholson OM
24 January 1918

Letter to Ben Nicholson in Pasadena, California from his father William, regarding Edwin Lutyens, Tony Nicholson, and an exhibition including work by Ben Nicholson and Edie Stuart-Wortley at the Grosvenor Gallery

Sir William Nicholson, recipient: Ben Nicholson OM
13 February 1918

Letter to Ben Nicholson in Pasadena, California from his father William, featuring an illustration of William Nicholson’s portrait of a Ursula Lutyens

Sir William Nicholson, recipient: Ben Nicholson OM
18–19 February 1918

Letter to Ben Nicholson in Pasadena, California from his father William

Sir William Nicholson, recipient: Ben Nicholson OM
18 March 1918

Letter to Ben Nicholson in Pasadena, California from his father William, in response to Ben’s letter dated 27th Feb

Sir William Nicholson, recipient: Ben Nicholson OM
21 March [1918]

Letter to Ben Nicholson in Pasadena, California from his father William, with envelope which has notes on the back

Sir William Nicholson, recipient: Ben Nicholson OM
23 March 1918

Letter to Ben Nicholson from his father William while working at Folly Farm

Sir William Nicholson, recipient: Ben Nicholson OM
7 April [1918]

Letter to Ben Nicholson in Pasadena, California from his father William at Folly Farm regarding an exhibition at Goupil Gallery

Sir William Nicholson, recipient: Ben Nicholson OM
5 May 1918

Letter to Ben Nicholson in Pasadena, California from his father William on bank holiday from ‘Apple Tree Yard’

Sir William Nicholson, recipient: Ben Nicholson OM
20 May 1918

Letter to Ben Nicholson from his father William, discussing Jenny Nicholson

Sir William Nicholson, recipient: Ben Nicholson OM
26 January [1919]

Letter to Ben Nicholson from his father William discussing Ben moving house and William Marchant

Sir William Nicholson, recipient: Ben Nicholson OM
18 December 1920

Letter to Ben Nicholson from his father William at ‘The Biltmore’, New York featuring a sketch of a city grid (New York)

Sir William Nicholson, recipient: Ben Nicholson OM
14 April 1921

Letter to Ben Nicholson sent from his father William at ‘Colin Godman’s Farm’ regarding William Nicholson’s work

Sir William Nicholson, recipient: Ben Nicholson OM
[August 1921]

Letter to Ben Nicholson from his father William at ‘Apple Tree’ regarding Kit Nicholson and Nancy Nicholson’s third child

Sir William Nicholson, recipient: Ben Nicholson OM
24 January 1922

Letter to Ben Nicholson in Lugano, Switzerland from his father William at ‘Apple Tree’ regarding the death of Fanny Pryde

Sir William Nicholson, recipient: Ben Nicholson OM
27 January 1923

Letter from William Nicholson to his son Ben, discussing the possibility of going abroad and moving home to The White House in Sutton Veny

Sir William Nicholson, recipient: Ben Nicholson OM
[February–April 1923]

Letter to Ben and Winifred Nicholson from Ben’s father William thanking them for having him to stay at Bankshead

Sir William Nicholson, recipients: Ben Nicholson OM, Winifred Nicholson
8 July 1924

Postcard featuring a picture of a bullfighting arena in Nimes, addressed to Ben Nicholson from his father William

Sir William Nicholson, recipient: Ben Nicholson OM
5 February 1925
Artwork
Close

Join in

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
Sign up to emails

Sign up to emails

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Tate’s privacy policy

About

  • About us
  • Our collection
  • Terms and copyright
  • Governance
  • Picture library
  • ARTIST ROOMS
  • Tate Kids

Support

  • Tate Collective
  • Members
  • Patrons
  • Donate
  • Corporate
  • My account
  • Press
  • Jobs
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Cookies
  • Contact
© The Board of Trustees of the Tate Gallery, 2025
All rights reserved