Following education at Marlborough College, 1914-15, Malvern College, 1918, and Liverpool School of Architecture, 1919-20, in 1921 he went to Paris and enrolled at the Acad-mie Julian and later attended Acad-mie de la Grande Chaumi-re.
In France, he befriended Chilean diplomat Antonio de Gandarillas, (1887-1970) and with him travelled through Europe, and North Africa and Greece. It was Gandarillas who introduced Wood to opium.
Returning to France Kit Wood enjoyed friendships with Picasso and Jean Cocteau. In 1924, he exhibited at Heals and the following year at the Redfern Gallery, with Paul Nash. By 1926, he had met Ben and Winifred Nicholson and painted with them in St. Ives, Cornwall. In 1928, Wood visited their house in Cumberland before returning to Cornwall, where he met Alfred Wallis whom he befriended.
He became a member of the 7 & 5 Society and practised the faux-na-f style associated with this exhibiting group. In April 1929, Wood showed thirty-three paintings at Arthur Tooth & Sons, London, his only solo exhibition during his lifetime. He also showed with the 7 & 5 Society both during his lifetime and posthumously. In 1930 while preparing for an exhibition the Wertheim Gallery he arranged to meet his mother to show her his latest paintings. Probably under the influence of opium, Wood committed suicide by throwing himself under a train at Salisbury railway station. His gravestone in All Saints Church, in Broad Chalke, Wiltshire was carved by sculptor Eric Gill. A memorial exhibition was staged in 1938 at the New Burlington Galleries, London.
Following education at Marlborough College, 1914-15, Malvern College, 1918, and Liverpool School of Architecture, 1919-20, in 1921 he went to Paris and enrolled at the Acad-mie Julian and later attended Acad-mie de la Grande Chaumi-re.
In France, he befriended Chilean diplomat Antonio de Gandarillas, (1887-1970) and with him travelled through Europe, and North Africa and Greece. It was Gandarillas who introduced Wood to opium.
Returning to France Kit Wood enjoyed friendships with Picasso and Jean Cocteau. In 1924, he exhibited at Heals and the following year at the Redfern Gallery, with Paul Nash. By 1926, he had met Ben and Winifred Nicholson and painted with them in St. Ives, Cornwall. In 1928, Wood visited their house in Cumberland before returning to Cornwall, where he met Alfred Wallis whom he befriended.
He became a member of the 7 & 5 Society and practised the faux-na-f style associated with this exhibiting group. In April 1929, Wood showed thirty-three paintings at Arthur Tooth & Sons, London, his only solo exhibition during his lifetime. He also showed with the 7 & 5 Society both during his lifetime and posthumously. In 1930 while preparing for an exhibition the Wertheim Gallery he arranged to meet his mother to show her his latest paintings. Probably under the influence of opium, Wood committed suicide by throwing himself under a train at Salisbury railway station. His gravestone in All Saints Church, in Broad Chalke, Wiltshire was carved by sculptor Eric Gill. A memorial exhibition was staged in 1938 at the New Burlington Galleries, London.
