Duncan Grant: Strokes of Brilliance

"[He] may be the long looked for British genius."

Photograph of Duncan Grant by Alvin Langdon Coburn, c.1912 (Image Credit: The Culturium)

Village Street, Oil on Canvas, c. 1903 (Charleston)

It’s quite true, when he’s there all one can do is to be in love with him.

Letter from Lytton Strachey to John Maynard Keynes, 17th November 1905

‘Lytton Strachey. Verso: Crime and Punishment’, Oil on Canvas, c.1909 (Tate)

Still Life with Peaches, Oil on Canvas, c. 1910 (Samuel Courtauld Trust)

Self Portrait, Oil on Canvas, c.1910 (Charleston)

Interior at Gordon Square, Oil on Wood, c. 1915 (Tate)

Vanessa Bell, Oil on Canvas, c. 1916-1917 (National Portrait Gallery, London)

Interior, Oil on Canvas, 1918 (Ulster Museum)

Venus and Adonis, Oil on Canvas, c. 1919 (Tate)

Bathers by the Pond, Oil on Canvas, 1920-1921 (Pallant House Gallery)

‘The Armchair, 8 Fitzroy Street’, Oil on Canvas, 1925 (Government Art Collection)

A Winter Scene, Oil on Canvas, 1927 (The Red House, Aldeburgh)

Julian Bell Writing, Oil on Canvas, c. 1928 (Charleston)

Male Nude, Oil on Canvas, 1930 (St Peter’s College, University of Oxford)

‘Monk's House, and a Tree in the Garden’, Oil on Canvas, c. 1930-1935 (National Trust, Monk’s House)

The Pink Vase, Oil on Paper on Panel, 1934 (Leicester Museum & Art Gallery)

Angelica Playing the Violin, Oil on Canvas, 1934 (Southampton City Art Gallery)

Nude Study, Oil on Board, 1935 (Atkinson Art Gallery Collection)

He is so incredibly full of charm, his genius as an artist seems to overflow so into his life and character & he is so amusing too and odd and unaccountable that lots of people I think don’t see clearly what to me is really his most adorable quality - his honesty - disinterestedness absolute sincerity & simplicity of character which make me depend upon him always.

Letter from Vanessa Bell to Julian Bell, 7th March 1937

Girl at the Piano, Oil on Canvas, 1940 (Tate)

Garden Path in Spring, Oil on Canvas, c.1944 (Tate)

Sir Desmond MacCarthy, Oil on Canvas, 1944 (National Portrait Gallery, London)

The Bedside Lamp, Oil on Canvas, c.1950-1955 (Salford Museum & Art Gallery)

Portrait of a Lady, Oil on Canvas, 1959 (Royal West of England Academy)

Nerissa in a White Blouse, Oil on Canvas, c. 1965 (Charleston)

Self Portrait, Oil on Canvas, 1967 (Aberdeen Art Gallery & Museums)

[Duncan] may be the long looked for British genius.

Letter from Vanessa Bell, 1912

Thank you for visiting the Bloomsbury Gallery! If you enjoyed this collection, please like and/or share. And, as always, I would love to know your thoughts in the comments. If you wish, you can also Become a Member, join the Bloomsbury Salon, and/or read the suggested Beyond Bloomsbury posts below. Until next time…

Duncan Grant: Life Before Bloomsbury

Picturing 1922: Echoes of the Past

Lytton Strachey: Life Before Bloomsbury

Laura Knight: A Singular Vision

Images:

Images on Beyond Bloomsbury are usually credited. I conduct thorough picture research, but please let me know if you believe a credit needs to be added or corrected. Thank you!