At the dawn of the 20th century, a new cultural scene emerged in East Sussex. Composed of a circle of writers, artists and philosophers, the Bloomsbury Group marked a new sense of modern thinking in England. While they first came together in the then burgeoning art hub of Bloomsbury, the bunch carved out a home at Charleston, artist Vanessa Bell’s countryside farmhouse.
Nearly one century later, Sotheby’s has just announced a new private selling and loan exhibition in collaboration with Charleston, spotlighting the works of the influential intellectual club at the estate-turned-museum. Curated by the ex-Fendi, Dior menswear director Kim Jones, Radical Modernity: From Bloomsbury to Charleston honors the experimental and progressive spirit of the Bloomsbury Group.
The exhibition features a stunning collection of furniture, ceramics, paintings and drawings in a decadent display, playing to the likes of the group’s signature, bohemian interior style. Standout works for private sale include the original cover artwork for Woolf’s 1925 novel Mrs. Dalloway painted by her sister Vanessa Bell, a pair of Roger Fry’s Omega Workshop ceramics and an embroidered silk robe designed by Percy Wyndham Lewis. Following Charleston’s ‘50 for 50’ campaign, a search for the best Bloomsbury works previously tucked away in private collections, Radical Modernity offers a rare glimpse into some of the museum’s most significant pieces alongside additional hidden treasures.
From Duncan Grant’s post-impressionist works on quilted coats in Dior Men’s Summer 2023 to the Bloomsbury-inspired Victorian photo album for The Fendi Set, it’s no secret that Jones has been a long time admirer of the group. Earlier this year, the creative director was appointed vice president of Charleston, and will lend the pieces from his personal collection for the exhibition. “I love the way they shook things up,” he notes in a recent press statement. “I love living with these amazing pieces in my home, but I think it’s important to give other people the opportunity to come face to face with them, so they can experience that same moment I have, when something from so long ago speaks to something within you.”
Radical Modernity: From Bloomsbury to Charleston will be on view at Charleston from November 9 through November 26, 2024, and will coincide with the Sotheby’s biannual Modern British & Irish Art auction on November 14.
Charleston
Firle, West Firle, Lewes BN8 6LL,
United Kingdom
