PREFACE
Jim Ede described himself as a friend of artists, and his friendship with Winifred Nicholson was one of his longest, spanning over fifty years. During that time he acquired nine works for the collection at Kettle’s Yard. The first work Jim bought was ‘Seascape’ (1926), which Winifred painted when the Edes and Nicholsons were on a joint family holiday in Northumberland. The delicate pastel and watercolour on paper, ‘White Saxifrage’ (1967), was the last piece he bought, from an exhibition of Winifred’s work in London in 1972. This was just before the Edes left Kettle’s Yard to live in Edinburgh. Over the years, Jim was able to supplement his own purchases with a number of gifts from the collection of Helen Sutherland, who was a mutual friend of both Winifred and Jim. A tenth work, painted during Winifred’s last decade, was donated to Kettle’s Yard in 2001. Today, this group of works constitutes the largest number of works by Winifred Nicholson in a public collection. Seven of these are permanently displayed in the House. Winifred Nicholson is perhaps best known for her gentle paintings of flowers, still lives and landscapes. Less well known is her involvement in the European avant-garde, her membership of the 7&5 Group and Circle, or her friendships with artists such as Piet Mondrian, who trusted her understanding of colour so much he asked her to source paint for him in England. Winifred Nicholson was the first person in Britain to buy a Mondrian; she also owned two Giacomettis, works by Hélion and other artists she knew in Paris. Winifred developed radical theories on colour, and she was a gifted and articulate writer. In many ways, Winifred is the best person to talk about her work. Here, we have brought together some of her writing, in the form of essays and letters, covering topics from colour and light to art and life. Alongside these, Jim’s words on Winifred offer intimate insight into the ideas, experiences and passions they shared. Both the poet Kathleen Raine and the collector Helen Sutherland were