29/05/2026
In April, we published two new books, the official House Guidebook, and Art & Artists, offering a comprehensive and richly illustrated introduction to the artists, spaces and relationships that continue to shape Kettle’s Yard 📚
Here's 5 things we've learnt from the new publications:
1. Kettle’s Yard offered a unique opportunity for people to explore 20th century art 🖼️
During the 1920s and 30s, Jim Ede worked at the Tate. The Gaudier-Brzeska estate that formed the basis of the Edes’ collection was acquired at this time, which now at Kettle’s Yard also contains the largest number of publicly accessible holdings of early paintings by Ben Nicholson, Winifred Nicholson, and Christopher Wood.
2. The publications feature unpublished letters from the Kettle’s Yard Archive 📝
Art & Artists introduces a selection of artists included in the Kettle’s Yard collection through their correspondence with Jim Ede, documenting friendships and shared interests. For example, Jim Ede was a supporter of the artist Ovidiu Maitec. In a letter from Maitec to Ede in 1979, he noted: “You belong to the few and first who singled out the significance of my work”
3. The publications celebrate Helen Ede and her legacy at Kettle’s Yard 🧵
The publications include memories of Helen Ede and her bedroom at Kettle's Yard recounted by her grandchildren Jane and Quince. Jane recalls ‘sewing, everywhere’ and children’s drawings, which their grandmother always showed an interest in. Quince also remembers more practical items, including Helen’s sewing machine and the ironing board, as well as many books.
4. The history of Kettle’s Yard 🏡
The site derived its name from the Kettle family, with connections to the site dating back to the eleventh century. By the early twentieth century, the area was a place for small businesses and tradespeople, bustling with cottages, workshops, pubs and shops. Kettle’s Yard then fell into decline in the following decades due to a lack of investment, until the area was revived following a drive for reconstruction after the Second World War.
5. Objects have as much significance as the artworks on display 🏺
At Kettle’s Yard, Jim Ede arranged his collection of art, furniture, glass, ceramics, and other objects gathered throughout his lifetime, particularly sharing his collection of found objects such as shells and pebbles. By carefully considering the precise position of each work of art and object, and their relationship with each other, he aimed to create a perfectly balanced whole, which would become a work of art in its own right.
Read the full blog here: https://ow.ly/7hv150Z5ue9
Images: Beth Davis
