Charleston opens first Nina Hamnett retrospective
Nina Hamnett (1890-1956), Dancer (Rupert Doone 1903-1966), 1922-23. Oil on canvas, 45 x 29cm. Collection. Heritage Doncaster, Doncaster Council.
LEWES
.-Charleston reopened with the first major retrospective of the work of British artist Nina Hamnett (1890 1956), a central figure in the London and Paris art scenes of the early 20th century. Featuring works that span three decades, the exhibition showcases Hamnetts incredible eye for portraiture and reveal key aspects of her practice which has, in recent times, remained little known and unseen.
Born in Tenby, Wales, Hamnett was at the heart of the British-French exchange of art and ideas during the 1910s and 1920s and was a key point of connection between the Bloomsbury group, the Camden Town Group and the School of Paris. She became a celebrated artist in both London and Paris, exhibiting widely in solo and group shows, including those of The London Group and the New Englis
Detail from Nina Hamnett s 1917 painting The Student
Credit: Ferens Art Gallery, Hull Museums
You know that question – who would you invite to your dream dinner party? For me, one certainty is Nina Hamnett.
In her early 20th-century prime, the Welsh artist (1890-1956) crowned avant garde circles in both London and Paris. She sang sea shanties with screen heart-throb Rudolph Valentino, and cajoled James Joyce – who thought her one of the most vital women he had ever met – into a rendition of Daisy, Daisy, Give Me Your Answer, Do!
Next month, Hamnett is having her first retrospective – at Charleston, the former Sussex HQ of the Bloomsbury Group, of which she was a fringe member, and was at one time involved with Roger Fry. She also threw in with the London Group, the Camden Town Group and the School of Paris, exhibiting regularly at the Royal Academy and in the influential Salon d’Automne.