Christopher Wood (English, 1901 - 1930)

Wood was born near Liverpool and studied architecture before turning to painting. After spending time in London he moved to Paris in 1921. He met Picasso and became influenced by modern French art. In 1926 he met Ben and Winifred Nicholson who became close friends and whose fresh, consciously naïve style of painting influenced his own. Wood's most significant work was produced between 1928 and 1930, while working in Brittany and Cornwall and executed in his very personal, naïve style. Although Wood died after throwing himself under a train at the early age of twenty nine, he was an extremely productive artist and painted some 500 oils in his short career.