Charleston

The house-museum Charleston is located close to the south coast of England in the heart of the South Downs National Park. It was formerly the home of the artists Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant and became a hub for some of the 20th century’s most experimental artists, writers and thinkers, known collectively as the Bloomsbury Group. Bell and Grant moved into the house in 1916 and began painting almost every surface, making the building a living canvas. The walls are crammed with their art as well as works by fellow artists they knew and admired, such as Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse and Matthew Smith. There are more than 150 oil paintings on display, much the same as when the couple hung them, and there is also a year-round program of exhibitions, events and festivals, plus a new cultural center, Charleston in Lewes, that hosts exhibitions, community projects and artist-led workshops.

^{Photo: Lewis Ronald}