Last weekend was spent in the company of dear friends in London.
The timing was deliberate: Una & Mairead treated me to a visit to the Vanessa Bell exhibition.
I’ve a long lasting fascination with the Bloomsbury set. I’ve played Vita Sackville -West & Virginia Woolf, so I’ve read a lot written by and about them. But I’ve always had an affection for Vanessa – the other Stephen girl.
So it was wonderful to head to Dulwich on a sunny April day and take in what is the most comprehensive solo exhibition of her work since her death in 1961.
The range of work is wonderful: from still lives to landscapes; abstract to portraits.
Also included are designs she worked on with Duncan Grant, family photos, and letters – such as the one above written to Roger Fry in 1914.
And – of particular interest to this fan of the Two Vs – the dust jackets designed for the Hogarth Press:
The exhibition runs until 4 June. The Dulwich Gallery is set in lovely leafy grounds, with outdoor seating and great coffee. You could spend a day away from the city mayhem in an oasis of flowering calm, and visit Vanessa at the same time.
Go on, treat yourself.
Karen J McDonnell 