As part of Sotheby's Modern British & Irish Art week, Sotheby’s will host a tightly-curated exhibition celebrating the very best of art and literature by the Bloomsbury group, with works for sale alongside loans from the collection at Charleston, the home of Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant. The Bloomsbury group was a circle of intellectuals, including artists and writers who made an indelible mark on the trajectory of the arts in Britain in the 20th century, challenging conventions through their progressive ways of life. This autumn, Sotheby’s is pleased to present Radical Modernity: From Bloomsbury to Charleston, a private selling and loan exhibition in collaboration with Charleston. The exhibition will celebrate the indefatigable spirit of the Bloomsbury Group and the renewed interest in their work and lives today, across paintings, drawings, furniture, ceramics and literature by Vanessa Bell, Duncan Grant, Roger Fry, Virginia Woolf and Henry Lamb.
Though born in London’s Bloomsbury, the movement found its spiritual home at Charleston in Sussex. The home and studio of painters Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant became the hub around which many of the early twentieth century’s greatest minds gravitated. Today, Charleston – which is set to celebrate half a century as a charity in 2030 – is the custodian of a world-leading Bloomsbury collection. As part of the exhibition, Charleston will be loaning some of its most significant pieces, many not usually on public view. This includes recent acquisitions made as part of Charleston’s ‘50 for 50’ campaign, a hunt for the very best Bloomsbury works still in private collections that marks the forthcoming 50th anniversary.
The cultural significance of the Bloomsbury group extends today to contemporary art, design and the world of fashion, with designers long captivated by these characters. Among them, Kim Jones OBE, has been a passionate ambassador of the Bloomsbury group, continuously finding fresh inspiration for his work with Dior and Fendi within not only the patterns and designs of the Bloomsbury group, but also within their writings. Appointed as Vice President of Charleston, Sotheby's welcomes Kim Jones to lend his eye for the curation of the galleries, as well as loaning pieces from his personal collection, one of the most significant in private hands.
Listen to Sotheby’s Talks Latest Episode The Bloomsbury Legacy: Art, Life and the Charleston Aesthetic
In the newest episode of Sotheby’s Talks, Kim Jones, Dr Darren Clarke, Frances Wilson and Jen Hardie explore the Bloomsbury group and the unique aesthetic cultivated at Charleston, their rural retreat, which became a hub for creative collaboration and continues to inspire generations of artists and thinkers today.
