The studio at Charleston. Photographer, Lee Robbins

Head out to the countryside, to the heart of the South Downs, to discover Charleston – the former home and studio of modernist painters Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant. Charleston was a gathering point for some of the 20th century’s most radical artists, writers and thinkers who became collectively known as the Bloomsbury group. It was a place where art and experimental thinking became central to daily life, where they came together to imagine society differently, and where alternative sexual desires and interpretations of domestic life were accommodated.

As well as the restored house and studio, and the gardens, Charleston offers a dynamic year-round programme of exhibitions, events and festivals.

The garden at Charleston. Photographer, Lee Robbins

In 1916, at the height of the First World War, the artists moved here from London along with Grant’s lover David Garnett, his dog Henry, and Bell’s two young sons, Julian and Quentin. Conscription had been introduced the same year and Conscientious Objectors such as Grant and Garnett were forced to find alternative roles for themselves in the war effort so as not to be either forced to enlist or be imprisoned. When she secured the lease on the house, Bell also arranged for a local farmer to employ Grant and Garnett.

The dining room at Charleston. Photographer, Lee Robbins

Soon after their arrival, the artists began transforming their new home. First, they had the whole house whitewashed, covering up the old floral, Edwardian wallpapers and creating a blank canvas. From this point on they continued to decorate and redecorate everything within the house – walls, doors, fire surrounds, tabletops, even cupboard doors. The unique interiors can be explored on a visit to the house.

We recommend downloading Charleston’s digital guide on the Bloomberg Connects app to explore the house and its history ahead of your visit. Discover audio guides of each room, soundscapes of the gardens and photographs of those that lived, worked and visited Charleston.

The striking garden is free to visit and, like the house and galleries, is open all year round. The garden, which is described as an artists’ garden, was an important source of creative inspiration for Bell and Grant and continues to inspire visitors today. Each year, the artists would choose different plants from the seed catalogue so that they would always have something new to paint. Hollyhocks, red hot pokers, Iceland poppies and globe thistles were among their favourites, and continue to grow in the garden today.

Tunji Adeniyi-Jones. Courtesy White Cube, Nicelle Beauchene Gallery, NY, Móran Móran Gallery, LA and Wingate Studio, New Haven, CT

Visit Charleston’s upcoming exhibitions, Tunji Adeniyi-Jones: Astral Reflections and Duncan Grant: 1920, which open to the public on 18 September 2021. Running until 13 March 2022, both exhibitions are housed in the striking exhibition galleries which were designed by Jamie Fobert Architects and opened in 2018.

Astral Reflections is British, Brooklyn-based artist Tunji Adeniyi-Jones’ first UK solo show. The vivid and colourful works draw upon his Yoruban heritage, West African mythologies and traditions to explore how travel and movement have impacted the Black experience over the centuries.

These new works sit alongside the exhibition Duncan Grant: 1920 which is a recreation of the Bloomsbury artist’s first solo show from a little over a century ago. The exhibition brings together over 30 of his paintings, some of which haven’t been seen for decades or exhibited in public before, and is the artist’s first solo show since his death in 1978.

Duncan Grant, Venus and Adonis, c.1919. Tate © Estate of Duncan Grant. All rights reserved, DACS 2021.

When Grant’s show opened at the Paterson-Carfax Gallery in London in 1920, he was a rising star of the British avant-garde. His experimental abstract and post-impressionist paintings scandalised and excited critics and the public alike!

Fast forward a century and these two exhibitions are drawing parallels between the historic and contemporary, between Grant and Adeniyi-Jones, their vivid colour palette and expressive interest in the human form.

The Yard at Charleston. Photographer, Jim Stephenson

Why not join Charleston for their Queer Bloomsbury Day this September, and explore their queer heritage through performance, cabaret, comedy and lively conversation? In celebration of queer lives and creativity, this year’s line-up includes Juno Dawson, Shon Faye and Pecs Drag Kings. Plus, there is a special cabaret performance from artists including Kuchenga and Harry Clayton-Wright in response to the collection of over 400 erotic drawings by Duncan Grant which were gifted to Charleston last year.

The erotic drawings were thought to have been lost but were instead privately passed down through the queer community – from lover to lover, friend to friend – following Grant’s death. You can read more about the fascinating story behind the drawings here.

Making the most of the last of the Great British summer, these events will be held outdoors in Charleston’s new open-air venue, The Yard. The colourful outdoor stage was designed and built especially for Charleston by London-based design and architecture team Pup Architects. Discover more about the unique construction here.

Duncan Grant, Untitled Drawing, c.1946-1959, The Charleston Trust © The Estate of Duncan Grant, licensed by DACS 2021

In a rare and special opportunity, a small selection of the erotic drawings will be on display throughout the house for one day only as part of Queer Bloomsbury Day. This is the first time the private works have ever been displayed publicly. Find out more about the Queer House visit.

Queer Bloomsbury Day, 11 September 2021

Known for its rich literary history, Charleston has accommodated many writers from within the Bloomsbury circle over the years – Virginia Woolf, EM Forster and Lytton Strachey to name but a few. Their celebrated festivals have long been a mainstay on the literary calendar.

Coming up this autumn is Small Wonder Festival – the UK’s only festival dedicated to the art of short form writing. From 24-26 September, Small Wonder is a long weekend of events dedicated to poetry, short stories, spoken word, performance, storytelling and more. Lots more! Joining them this year are poets Raymond Antrobus, Ben Okri and Carol Ann Duffy, performers Crick Crack Club, writers Joanne Harris, Leone Ross and Lavinia Greenlaw, as well as renowned cartoonist Grizelda.

Browse the full line up here.

Charleston is now open all year round, Wednesday – Sunday 10am-5pm and Bank Holiday Mondays. For more information, visit their website.

A Guide To Charleston