The Student

Early Life and Artistic Beginnings

• Born: February 14, 1890, in Tenby, Pembrokeshire, Wales
• Parents: George Edward Hamnett (an army officer) and Mary Elizabeth De Blois.
• Early education at a private boarding school in Westgate-on-Sea and later at the Royal School for Daughters of Officers of the Army in Bath, Somerset (1902-1905).
• Studied at the Pelham Art School (1906-1907) and the London School of Art (until 1910), developing skills in portraiture and landscape painting.
• Moved to Montparnasse, Paris, in 1914 to study at Marie Vassilieff's Academy, immersing herself in the burgeoning avant-garde art scene.

Bohemian Life and Artistic Associations

• Became a central figure in the Parisian bohemian community, known for her unconventional lifestyle and flamboyant personality.
• Close associations with prominent artists including Henri Gaudier-Brzeska (who sculpted nude bronzes of her), Amedeo Modigliani (with whom she had a love affair), Pablo Picasso, Serge Diaghilev, and Jean Cocteau.
• Lived briefly at La Ruche, a residence for many leading avant-garde artists.
• Married Norwegian artist Edgar de Bergen (later Roald Kristian) in 1914; the marriage lasted three years before his deportation.
• Worked at the Omega Workshops in London (directed by Roger Fry, Vanessa Bell, and Duncan Grant), creating fabrics, clothes, murals, furniture, and rugs.

Artistic Style and Influences

• Her artistic style is characterized by psychological portraits and understated still lifes.
• Influenced by Walter Sickert, who provided guidance on her painting technique, though she often resisted formal instruction.
• Sickert used her as a model and painted her with her husband in "The Little Tea Party: Nina Hamnett and Roald Kristian."
• Her work reflects the modernist movement's focus on capturing inner character and everyday life.

Literary Achievements and Later Years

• Published Laughing Torso (1932), a bestselling autobiographical account of her bohemian experiences, which caused controversy due to allegations of black magic involving Aleister Crowley.
• Successfully defended against Crowley's libel suit but was deeply affected by the ordeal.
• Continued to live in London’s artistic hub, Fitzrovia, frequenting the Fitzroy Tavern and associating with Augustus John and Dylan Thomas.
• Published a sequel, Is She a Lady? (1955).

Death and Legacy

• Died on December 16, 1956, under tragic circumstances – falling from her apartment window and being impaled on the fence below. The cause of death remains debated as either suicide or accidental drunken fall.
• Her life was documented in Denise Hooker's biography, Nina Hamnett: Queen of Bohemia (1986).
• Featured in a short film, "What Shall We Do with the Drunken Sailor" (2011), starring Siobhan Fahey.
• Hamnett’s legacy rests on her vibrant personality and her unique contribution to early 20th-century art, capturing the spirit of bohemian life through both her paintings and writings.