William Nicholson, often overlooked in favour of his more famous son, is coming out of the shadows

"The British painter William Nicholson (1872-1949) has featured in several exhibitions at Pallant House Gallery in Chichester, West Sussex, in recent years. His complicated, much misunderstood, relationship with his eldest son formed the prologue to Ben Nicholson: From the Studio in 2021; four of his spare depictions of the South Downs were included in the gallery's 2022 survey of Sussex landscapes; and his shimmering The Silver Casket and Red Leather Box (1920) was a highlight of last year's anthology of Modern British still lifes."

"Nicholson's output was prolific and eclectic: spectacularly dramatic posters, made in collaboration with his brother-in-law James Pryde, under the pseudonym of the Beggarstaff Brothers; wonderfully witty woodcuts, including the celebrated portfolios An Alphabet and London Types; book illustrations; commissions for the theatre (he designed the costumes for the first performance of Peter Pan); portraits, both of children and those he called his "smart sitters", which were his primary source of income; and the ravishing still lifes and serene landscapes he made for his own diversion."

""Past exhibitions have often siloed the different aspects of Nicholson's work, with a focus on just his paintings or his graphic work," says the Pallant House Gallery director Simon Martin. "This show looks at him in the round, evincing his versatility across different media and genres and considering how they inform and relate to each other." A damned dandy Nicholson defies easy categorisation-one reason he has sometimes been damned as a minor artist."

Pallant House Gallery stages William Nicholson's first full survey in twenty-five years, following recent inclusions in multiple themed shows from 2021 to 2023. Nicholson produced dramatic Beggarstaff posters with James Pryde, celebrated woodcuts such as An Alphabet and London Types, book illustrations, and theatre commissions including costumes for Peter Pan. Portrait commissions provided his main income while still lifes and South Downs landscapes served personal ends; The Silver Casket and Red Leather Box (1920) is a notable work. The survey emphasises Nicholson's versatility across media and genres and acknowledges his refusal of movements or exhibiting societies.

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