The little master

MANY in number are the sons and daughters operating in the creative and performing arts whose names have been overshadowed by that of an illustrious parent. With Sir William and Ben Nicholson, however, the standings are reversed. Open any general dictionary of art and the entry on Ben is certain to be at least twice the length of the one devoted to his father. Where Nicholson Jnr has been described as ‘the only English painter to develop a pure abstract art of international quality between the two World Wars’, Sir William is seen as a minor player.

‘His paintings are cast with a serenity and ease of touch that