In 1928 the meeting of Alfred Wallis, Ben Nicholson and Christopher Wood began the development of St Ives as an artists' colony. With the outbreak of war in 1939, Ben Nicholson, Barbara Hepworth and Naum Gabo settled in St Ives, establishing in West Cornwall an outpost for the abstract avant-garde.
After the war a younger generation of artists emerged, including Peter Lanyon, John Wells, Roger Hilton, Bryan Wynter, Patrick Heron, Terry Frost and Wilhelmina Barns-Graham. The establishment of Tate St Ives has stimulated another stage of evolution in the visual arts of the region.
The ceramic tradition which Bernard Leach established in St Ives with Shoji Hamada in 1920 adds a further dimension to the locality's artistic standing.History