Denis Mitchell 1912-1993
Nanjivey, 1991
Delabole Slate
Height 47.5 cm (18.7 ins.)
Available to buy
Further images
Provenance
Bridge Gallery Dublin 1997
Collection of Jonathan Grimble
Estate of J Grimble
Exhibitions
Penwith Galleries, St Ives (1992)
Flowers East, London (1993)
Penwith Galleries, St Ives (1996)
Bridge Gallery, Dublin (1997)
In 1967, at the invitation of his long-time friend and fellow artist John Wells, Denis Mitchell relocated to a studio at Trewarveneth in Newlyn. By this point, his sculpture had developed into the mature abstract language for which he is best known, encompassing highly finished bronzes alongside distinctive one-off carvings in wood and slate. Nanjivey, meticulously carved and finished in Delabole slate in 1991, is an especially fine example of this latter group.
From 1949 to 1959, Mitchell worked as chief assistant to Barbara Hepworth, an experience that proved formative to his development as a sculptor. His years working alongside Hepworth brought a remarkable understanding of the possibilities of carving, surface and form. Yet Mitchell developed a language that was distinctly his own, combining an exceptional refinement of form with a strong physical relationship to the materials he used.
That dialogue between refinement and natural material is particularly evident in Nanjivey. One side of the sculpture has a beautifully smooth, flowing surface, while the other retains a more rugged, tactile character. The sculpted opening creates a striking connection between the two, giving the work a sense of movement and internal space. There is also something distinctly Cornish about the sculpture: its material, its title and its powerful, elemental presence all reflect Mitchell’s deep connection with the landscape and geology of Cornwall.
Mitchell frequently gave his sculptures Cornish place-names, and Nanjivey is no exception. The work also dates from the final period of his career, when he was living and working in Newlyn and producing some of his most assured abstract sculptures.
Nanjivey has an excellent exhibition history, having been shown at Penwith Galleries in St Ives in 1992, Flowers East in London in 1993, Penwith Galleries again in 1996 and the Bridge Gallery in Dublin in 1997. It was subsequently part of Jonathan Grimble’s remarkable collection of St Ives Modernist art, giving the sculpture an especially interesting provenance within the history of post-war British abstraction.
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