Nina Hamnett facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Nina Hamnett
|
|
|---|---|
1917 portrait of Nina Hamnett painted by Roger Fry (Courtauld Gallery, London)
|
|
| Born | 14 February 1890 Tenby, Pembrokeshire, Wales
|
| Died | 16 December 1956 (aged 66) London, England
|
| Occupation | Artist and writer |
| Known for | Queen of Bohemia |
Nina Hamnett (born February 14, 1890 – died December 16, 1956) was a talented Welsh artist and writer. She was also an expert on sailors' chanteys, which are traditional songs. Nina Hamnett became widely known as the Queen of Bohemia because of her free-spirited lifestyle.
Early Life and Art Training
Nina Hamnett was born in the small coastal town of Tenby, Pembrokeshire, Wales. Her father, George Hamnett, was an army officer. Her mother, Mary, was born in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador.
Nina attended a private boarding school at Westgate-on-Sea. When she was 12, she moved to the Royal School for Daughters of Officers of the Army in Bath, Somerset. Her family faced financial difficulties, but her aunts helped fund her education. From 1906 to 1910, she studied art at the Pelham Art School and the London School of Art. In 1914, she traveled to Montparnasse, Paris, to study at Marie Vassilieff's Academy.
While studying in London, Nina met and posed for the artist Henri Gaudier-Brzeska. During this time, she also became friends with writers like Olivia Shakespear and Ezra Pound.
Life in Paris
In Paris, Nina Hamnett quickly became part of the "Bohemian" art scene. This was a community where artists, writers, and musicians lived and worked freely. On her first night, she met famous artists like Amedeo Modigliani, Pablo Picasso, Serge Diaghilev, and Jean Cocteau. She even stayed for a while at La Ruche, a place where many leading artists lived.
In 1914, in Montparnasse, she met Norwegian artist Edgar de Bergen. He later changed his name to Roald Kristian. Nina married him, but their relationship was short-lived.
Her artwork was highly respected by the painter Walter Sickert. He often gave her advice on her paintings. Sickert also used Nina as a model and painted her with her husband in a work called The Little Tea Party: Nina Hamnett and Roald Kristian.
An Artistic Lifestyle
Nina Hamnett became a well-known figure in the art world of Paris. She often modeled for other artists. Her artistic reputation soon reached London. There, she worked at the Omega Workshops, which was run by artists like Roger Fry, Vanessa Bell, and Duncan Grant. At Omega, she helped create or decorate fabrics, clothes, murals, furniture, and rugs.
Nina's art was shown in many exhibitions during World War I. These included shows at the Royal Academy in London and the Salon d'Automne in Paris. Back in England, she also taught at the Westminster Technical Institute from 1917 to 1918.
From the mid-1920s, the area of London called Fitzrovia became a major artistic center. It was named after the popular Fitzroy Tavern. This tavern was Nina Hamnett's favorite place to hang out. Other famous artists and writers, like Augustus John and Dylan Thomas, also spent time there.
Books and Legacy
In 1932, Nina Hamnett published a book about her artistic life called Laughing Torso. The book became very popular in both the UK and the US. A famous writer named Aleister Crowley sued her and her publisher. He claimed that her book had false information about him. Nina won the case, but the lawsuit affected her for the rest of her life.
Twenty-three years after Laughing Torso, Nina released another book titled Is She a Lady?. She was not in good health at this time.
Nina Hamnett passed away in 1956.
Her life and art have been remembered in various ways.
- The American novelist Julius Horwitz wrote about Nina Hamnett in his 1964 novel, Can I Get There By Candlelight.
- A biography titled Nina Hamnett: Queen of Bohemia by Denise Hooker was published in 1986.
- In 2011, Nina was the subject of a short film by writer/director Chris Ward called What Shall We Do with the Drunken Sailor. It starred Siobhan Fahey.
- In November 2019, the Fitzrovia Chapel held an exhibition about her called Nina Hamnett - 'Everybody was Furious'.
See also
- Betty May
- List of Bloomsbury Group people
