Benedict Nicolson

Who was Benedict Nicolson?

Lionel Benedict Nicolson, MVO was a British art historian and author.

Nicolson was the elder son of authors Harold Nicolson and Vita Sackville-West and the brother of writer and politician Nigel. His parents were famously devoted to each other and the boys grew up at Sissinghurst Castle, in the rural depths of Kent, surrounded by the renowned gardens that are now run by the National Trust. Nicolson was educated at Eton College and Balliol College, Oxford, studying modern history. In 1939, he was appointed Deputy Surveyor of the King's Pictures under Kenneth Clark, but soon after, war was declared and he joined the Intelligence Corps, rising to the rank of Captain. In 1945 he resumed his Royal post as Deputy Surveyor, then under Anthony Blunt.

After the war, Nicolson told his mother of having a homosexual relationship. Vita thought the relationship would jeopardise his position at court and urged him to marry instead. He was married on 8 August 1955 to Luisa Felicita Vertova, the elder daughter of Professor Giacomo Vertova of Florence, and they had a daughter, Vanessa Pepita Giovanna, before divorcing in 1962.