Christopher Richard Wynne Nevinson, A.R.A. (1889-1946)

It is likely that From an Office Window was executed after the close of Nevinson's solo exhibition at Leicester Galleries on 4 November 1916, as he was trying to move away from depicting images of war such as those that he had shown there. The oil of this subject was painted in 1917, and was previously in the collection of Sir Osbert Sitwell. There is also a mezzotint of this work dating to 1918, in the collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum, London.

From an Office Window belonged to Professor G.P. Wells, F.R.S. (1901-1985), a zoologist and author, and son of the author H.G. Wells (1866-1946). Nevinson knew H.G. Wells and they saw a lot of each other in the 1920s, so it is quite possible that the present work was owned by H.G. Wells and gifted to his son.

We are very grateful to Dr Jonathan Black for his assistance in preparing this catalogue entry.