GENERAL DESCRIPTION
1936 (white relief) is a quintessentially abstract sculpture in which light and shadow animate a pure white surface carved with geometric forms. A pioneer of British modernism, Ben Nicholson made his first abstract reliefs in 1933. He had been to Paris in 1932–33 and visited the studios of Pablo Picasso, Constantin Brancusi, and Piet Mondrian. These excursions induced Nicholson to reorient his art toward nonfigurative themes, but he maintained a free attitude toward abstraction and figuration, moving back and forth from one to the other.
Adapted from
Bonnie Pitman, ed., Dallas Museum of Art: A Guide to the Collection (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2012), 283.
NOTES
Confirmed all information from the 2001 research document is now entered in the provenance, exhibition history, and bibliography.
This note was previously tagged #routed (and possibly !Routed_Feb15). I am removing those tags and replacing with #draft so that this note proceeds to GDocs for routing and is harvested to Brain. (EAS, 12/19/2016)
In the FUN FACT- *underline "strong side or top light."
Artist geography
trained- London (England): TGN: 7011781
Great Britain: TGN: 7008653
Provenance (not public)
From 1961: Dallas Museum for Contemporary Arts, purchased from the artist through Andre Emerrich in 1961
1961-1963: Dallas Museum for Contemporary Arts, gift of the Adele R. Levy Fund, Inc. [1]
From 1963: Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, Foundation for the Arts Collection, transferred from the above, May 30, 1963 [2], [3]
[1] Pursuant to the April 19, 1963 Agreement of Merger between the Dallas Association and the Dallas Museum for Contemporary Arts (DMCA), the collection of the Dallas Museum for Contemporary Arts was transferred to the Foundation for the Arts.
[2] The name of the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, founded in 1933, was changed to the Dallas Museum of Art in 1983.
[3] The Foundation for the Arts is a non-profit corporation created as a title-holding entity to serve the people of Dallas but to operate independently of the City. The Dallas Museum of Art (at its own cost) is responsible for the care, storage, insurance, conservation and maintenance of the collection, and agrees to maintain the highest museum standards in the management and handling of the Foundation’s collection. The title to all works of art purchased or otherwise acquired by the Foundation for the Arts is retained by the Foundation.
Removed TMS tag because Rule in place.
Catalogue essays specific to object
Artist/designers
Ben Nicholson: ULAN: 500005137
Cultures
Geography
Place of origin: Great Britain: TGN: 7008653
Process/materials
oil paint : AAT
board : AAT
carving : AAT
relief (sculptural technique): AAT: 300053622
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
circles (plane figures): AAT: 300055627
rectangles (parallelograms): AAT: 300055636
white (color): AAT: 300129784
Piet Mondrian : ULAN
monochrome: AAT: 300137660
geometry: AAT: 300054529
Neo-Plastic : AAT
Pablo Picasso: ULAN: 500009666
Constantin Brancusi: ULAN: 500016157
nonrepresentational art: AAT: 300134134
modernist (European style): AAT: 300021474
Alexander Calder: ULAN: 500007824
painting
sculpture
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
AUDIO ASSETS
VIDEO ASSETS
IMAGE ASSETS
ARCHIVAL RESOURCES
Ben Nicholson (1965 catalogue)
12712177: UMO
Added object number to Piction.
FUN FACTS
- The high value Nicholson placed on light as a component of his work is demonstrated by his written instruction on the upper right corner of the reverse of this piece: "When exhibiting this relief it should have a strong side or top light—at night it can be flood lit. B.N."
TEACHING IDEAS
RULES
Apply to objects where number equals 1963.77.FA
Category
rules_operator
AND
General Description
1936 (white relief) is a quintessentially abstract sculpture in which light and shadow animate a pure white surface carved with geometric forms. A pioneer of British modernism, Ben Nicholson made his first abstract reliefs in 1933. He had been to Paris in 1932–33 and visited the studios of Pablo Picasso, Constantin Brancusi, and Piet Mondrian. These excursions induced Nicholson to reorient his art toward nonfigurative themes, but he maintained a free attitude toward abstraction and figuration, moving back and forth from one to the other.
Adapted from
Bonnie Pitman, ed., Dallas Museum of Art: A Guide to the Collection (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2012), 283.
Fun Facts
- The high value Nicholson placed on light as a component of his work is demonstrated by his written instruction on the upper right corner of the reverse of this piece: "When exhibiting this relief it should have a strong side or top light—at night it can be flood lit. B.N."
Archival Resources
Ben Nicholson (1965 catalogue)
12712177: UMO
Added object number to Piction.
Notes
Confirmed all information from the 2001 research document is now entered in the provenance, exhibition history, and bibliography.
This note was previously tagged #routed (and possibly !Routed_Feb15). I am removing those tags and replacing with #draft so that this note proceeds to GDocs for routing and is harvested to Brain. (EAS, 12/19/2016)
In the FUN FACT- *underline "strong side or top light."
Artist geography
trained- London (England): TGN: 7011781
Great Britain: TGN: 7008653
Provenance (not public)
From 1961: Dallas Museum for Contemporary Arts, purchased from the artist through Andre Emerrich in 1961
1961-1963: Dallas Museum for Contemporary Arts, gift of the Adele R. Levy Fund, Inc. [1]
From 1963: Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, Foundation for the Arts Collection, transferred from the above, May 30, 1963 [2], [3]
[1] Pursuant to the April 19, 1963 Agreement of Merger between the Dallas Association and the Dallas Museum for Contemporary Arts (DMCA), the collection of the Dallas Museum for Contemporary Arts was transferred to the Foundation for the Arts.
[2] The name of the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, founded in 1933, was changed to the Dallas Museum of Art in 1983.
[3] The Foundation for the Arts is a non-profit corporation created as a title-holding entity to serve the people of Dallas but to operate independently of the City. The Dallas Museum of Art (at its own cost) is responsible for the care, storage, insurance, conservation and maintenance of the collection, and agrees to maintain the highest museum standards in the management and handling of the Foundation’s collection. The title to all works of art purchased or otherwise acquired by the Foundation for the Arts is retained by the Foundation.
Removed TMS tag because Rule in place.
Catalogue essays specific to object
Artist/designers
Ben Nicholson: ULAN: 500005137
Cultures
Geography
Place of origin: Great Britain: TGN: 7008653
Process/materials
oil paint : AAT
board : AAT
carving : AAT
relief (sculptural technique): AAT: 300053622
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
circles (plane figures): AAT: 300055627
rectangles (parallelograms): AAT: 300055636
white (color): AAT: 300129784
Piet Mondrian : ULAN
monochrome: AAT: 300137660
geometry: AAT: 300054529
Neo-Plastic : AAT
Pablo Picasso: ULAN: 500009666
Constantin Brancusi: ULAN: 500016157
nonrepresentational art: AAT: 300134134
modernist (European style): AAT: 300021474
Alexander Calder: ULAN: 500007824
painting
sculpture
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
AUDIO ASSETS
VIDEO ASSETS
rules
Apply To
Objects
number
Equals
1963.77.FA
source file
object_notes_2_c-0146.xml.nores