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In a series of exhibitions of post war British art curated at Osborne Samuel, we have focused on individuals whose influence and enterprise have significantly impacted the landscape of post-war British art, both in their lifetime and beyond. Previous exhibitions have considered the career of Lilian Somerville who was an inspirational curator at the British Council in the post war years and last year we featured Margaret Gardiner and the museum she established with her collection, the Pier Arts Centre in Orkney. This year we are honoured to collaborate with Kettle's Yard in Cambridge, focusing on the extraordinary friendships and the unique collection of its founder Jim Ede (1895-1990). He was a supporter of so many artists in their lifetime, corresponding and encouraging them through copious letter writing, collecting their work when few others did and tirelessly connecting artists with museums and private individuals to further their careers and make sales on their behalf. The artists he befriended included Ben and Winifred Nicholson, Alfred Wallis, Naum Gabo, Barbara Hepworth, Roger Hilton, David Jones, Henry Moore, William Scott, Christopher Wood, and John Blackburn, the latter an artist who Osborne Samuel have represented for many years. Ede's impact extended beyond his living friendships. After encountering the work of Henri Gaudier-Brzeska (1891-1915) at the Tate in 1926, he championed the artist, preserving his legacy. He cast the sculptures posthumously with advice from Henry Moore and strategically placed them in major museums globally. Ede wrote a biography of the artist, entitled Savage Messiah, based on the letters written between Henri Gaudier-Brzeska and his partner Sophie Gaudier-Brzeska, further solidifying his reputation and painting a vivid portrait of the artist's fiery spirit and the raw energy of his artistic style. The book also inspired a film with the same title some forty years after it was first published, directed by Ken Russell. Kettle's Yard was the home of Jim and Helen Ede between 1957 and 1973. As early as 1954, Jim Ede conceived the idea that would eventually become Kettle's Yard: 'a living place where works of art could be enjoyed … where young people could be at home unhampered by the greater austerity of the museum or public art gallery.' Visiting Kettle's Yard today is a disarming and wondrous experience. It is the antithesis of an austere 'white box' museum, and a testament to Ede's vision of a "way of life." Within his home paintings, sculptures, furniture, glass, flowers, stones and natural objects are placed carefully and thoughtfully with equal importance: the Henry Moore carving and a Ben Nicholson placed next to Jim's bed, making them the first works of art he saw each day when he woke up; the Nicholson or Wallis hung so low with a chair positioned nearby so they can be contemplated at ease. Juxtapositions are carefully and gently thought through, and include beautiful stones, glass and shells, everyday objects enjoyed for their shape or presence within the room. Jim perceived his home in its entirety as a work of art, creating, as he wrote to David Jones in 1956, 'a church.' It was a home he shared I N T R O D U C T I O N BY TA N I A S U T TO N Jim Ede, Spiral of Stones, c.1958. Featuring works by Henri Gaudier-Brzeska and Ben Nicholson. Photo by Paul Allitt, 2011. Courtesy of Kettle's Yard, University of Cambridge. 2

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