Vanessa Bell

Fanny Garnett (Duncan and Vanessa’s grand-daughter, twin of Nerissa)

Deborah Gage Fine Art, London, where acquired by the family of the present owner, and thence by descent

Before Bell and Grant purchased a car, their landscapes were restricted to the environs of Charleston, their home in Sussex. This fluent early autumn scene suggests the tranquillity of the Sussex fields adjoining Bell’s home.

Richard Shone

The importance of this work is shown by the fact that it was kept and treasured within the family collection for many years. This special group of Bloomsbury works was formerly in the collection of Frances ‘Fanny’ Garnett, who is the daughter of Angelica Bell and David Garnett, and granddaughter to Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant. The group encompasses paintings by both Grant and Bell, who were the central figures of the Bloomsbury group working in the early twentieth century. As the second generation of Bloomsbury, Fanny grew up surrounded by painting, writing and artistic experimentation, and these personal works include familiar, family scenes to the Garnett family, including a portrait of Vanessa Bell with Julian Bell (Angelica’s half brother) and a portrait of Nerissa Garnett (Franny’s twin).