Though it gives an account of his entire career, this book, now available in paperback, is the first to focus on the works of Ben Nicholson’s artistic maturity - the drawings and painted reliefs made between 1950 and 1975. Together with the white reliefs of 1934-9, these are the works by which he himself wished to be judged.

Yet neither drawings nor late reliefs have received the attention they deserve. The drawings have mistakenly been viewed as somehow subsidiary to the paintings and reliefs, when in fact their qualities of wit, poetry, spontaneity and sheer virtuosity place them among Nicholson’s finest and most personal achievements, while the late reliefs are shown to be complementary expressions of the interiorized vision that underlies all Nicholson’s work. As his imagination ranges from the particular to the universal, the two-dimensional image explores one facet of reality, the three-dimensional object another.

The 120 illustrations include a large number of works rarely or never reproduced before, and much of the extensive quotation from Nicholson’s own writing has not previously been published. The author’s fresh approach and sympathetic insight reveal the underlying ideas behind the many shifts of style and changes of medium in Nicholson's long career, making sense of it as a coherent whole.

Contents: Introduction; 1919-39 From illusionistic painting to abstract carving; 1939-58 The new scope of drawing; 1958-71 Drawings and painted reliefs; 1971-82 'Going deeper into the sense of things'; Notes; Bibliographical note; Acknowledgements; Index of works; Index

About the Author: Peter Khoroche wrote the catalogue for an exhibition of Ivon Hitchens’ paintings (Serpentine Gallery, London and tour 1989/90) and for an exhibition of Nicholson’s drawings and painted reliefs (Kettle’s Yard, Cambridge and tour 2002/3). He is also the author of Ivon Hitchens (new edition published by Lund Humphries, 2007).

Reviews: '...[an] enthusiastically and sensitively-written study...' The Sunday Telegraph

' Using previously unpublished letters and rarely seen sketches, Peter Khoroche has produced an attractive, informative and (an increasing rarity these days) well-written account of Nicholson's life and work.' Modern Painters

'I can think of nowhere else that a reader can gain a more thorough appreciation of the reliefs than in this book....The quality of the illustrations in the book is high...' Burlington Magazine

'Well-illustrated and drawing from the artist's own writings it is an important new study...' The Mayfair Times

' Peter Khoroche offers a beautifully written, respectful, solid survey of Nicholson's long artistic career with emphasis on the drawings and painted reliefs made between 1950 and 1975. ...The book contains 120 illustrations including a number rarely or never reproduced before, and many of the quotations from Nicholson's writings have not previously appeared in print. This is a good monograph.' Choice

'... very well produced book...' John Lane, Resurgence

'The author has done a great service to all students of British Modernism and of twentieth-century British art by bringing to our attention these later works by Ben Nicholson. Koroche writes about Nicholson's work with great enthusiasm and insight.' The Art Book August 2009

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