Tate Britain to showcase Bloomsbury artists Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant

Tate Britain will host a new exhibition featuring the work of Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant starting on 12 November.

This marks the first time the national home for British art has focused on these two painters since 1999. The exhibition examines their individual artistic achievements and their collaborative output during their 40-year open relationship. Thomas Kennedy, the curator of Modern British art at Tate Britain, organized the show to revisit the practices of the two artists.

Kennedy noted that while the pair were leading figures during their lifetimes, their work has faced harsh criticism in the past, particularly around the turn of the millennium. The new exhibition aims to highlight their role as pioneers of abstract art in Britain and their work in breaking down the boundaries between fine and decorative art.

The display explores the personal dynamics of the artists, who lived and painted together at Charleston in East Sussex from 1918 until Bell's death in 1961. While Bell's style is characterized by deliberate blocks of color and strong outlines, Grant's work is more impulsive and expressive. The exhibition also looks at their non-monogamous lifestyles, which Kennedy says provided them with a sense of freedom in a time when queer relationships were illegal in the UK.