Hana Leaper

First published to accompany the exhibition From Omega to Charleston: The Art of Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant, 1910-1934, this fully illustrated publication explores the life and works of two of the most innovative and influential British artists of the twentieth century. With a substantial essay and catalogue entries by Richard Shone (author of Bloomsbury Portraits, 1993 and curator of The Art of Bloomsbury, Tate, 1999), the catalogue explores the unique creative relationship shared by Bell (1879-1961) and Grant (1885-1978). It traces their move from the early years flush with post-impressionist experimentation to their later work at Charleston, their shared Sussex home. Whether working in fine painting or decorative schemes, together they emerge as consistently radical practitioners at the very heart of their cultural milieu. Drawing from private collections and a substantial group of works from The Charleston Trust, the second half of the publication focusses exclusively on one of Bell and Grant’s most spectacular joint commissions: The Famous Women Dinner Service. Begun in 1932 at the request of the art historian and director of the National Gallery Kenneth Clark and his wife Jane, its fifty plates were decorated with images of famous women through the ages, from Sappho to Greta Garbo. Considered lost for nearly forty years, and first publically exhibited at this exhibition, this set of plates forms an impressive testament to Bell and Grant’s close working partnership. A significant essay by Hana leaper (Charleston scholar, Fellow of the Paul Mellon Centre, and Senior Lecturer, Liverpool John Moores University) is succeeded by closer scholarship dedicated to the individual plates and the women that inspired them. The catalogue also has introductions from both Frances Spalding (Biographer of Bell and Grant) and Darren Clarke (Rausing Head of Collections, Research and Exhibitions at the Charleston Trust).

Taking a consciously regional perspective, this volume evaluates the mechanisms and motivations that underpin collaborations between higher education and public art galleries in the Midlands and Northwest of England. Presenting a series of case studies of collaborative projects undertaken by the co-authors, the chapters argue for the importance of developing equitable and sustainable partnerships across sectors, setting mutual long-term goals, the respectful articulation of respective priorities, and identifying shared ethical values. These proposed ideal conditions, developed through collaborative practice, are framed by, and rooted in, specific regional contexts of exhibition production and spectatorship, museum funding, the civic function of universities, and local art histories and cultural identities. The authors show how co-produced research can harness regionally-rooted expertise to intervene in nationally-relevant debates around British cultural histories and identities, as well as contribute to the broader discourse around regional practice and collaboration. The book will be of interest to scholars working in art history, museum studies, and curatorial studies.

Under the inspirational teaching of Claude Flight, Sybil Andrews (1898-1992) found her artistic voice in the form of the linocut - a medium demanding directness and dynamism. Tracing her artistic journey through rural Suffolk, inter-war London and finally provincial Canada, this important publication provides a comprehensive overview of the life and work of a key figure in British art history. Andrews' ambition 'to eliminate non-essentials to learn that great lesson of balance' translated into pared-down images which used colour to express, rather than depict, detail. The prevalent themes in her work - sport, urban life, manual work and religion - chime with Flight's aim to create 'an art of the people...an art expressed in terms of unity, simplicity and of harmony' and reflect Andrews' own interest in shared experiences. The resulting imagery - vital and eye-catching - is now beginning to receive the critical appreciation it deserves. This beautifully presented publication features a complete catalogue of Andrews' linocuts, alongside a substantial essay contextualising Andrews' oeuvre and analysing the linocuts in detail. It will appeal to the many collectors and admirers of Andrews' work as well as those with a broader interest in the art of the period.