Duncan Grant: Inside Bloomsbury at Tate Britain

Painting of muscular male swimmers diving and swimming between stripes of green and white water, with a boat at the top — Duncan Grant, *Bathing*, 1911. Image courtesy Tate. Framed by CoolCuration.

Last updated: 27 October 2026

Duncan Grant (1885 to 1978) is the Scottish-born Bloomsbury painter and designer who lived and worked at Charleston with Vanessa Bell. Here you will find our take on his work, Tate Britain’s Inside Bloomsbury show and prints from £30.

Our take on Duncan Grant

Grant was born at Rothiemurchus in Inverness-shire, spent his childhood in India, and trained in London, Italy and Paris, according to Tate. He joined the Camden Town Group in 1911 and had his first solo show at the Carfax Gallery in 1920.

With Vanessa Bell he co-directed the Omega Workshops from 1913 to 1919 and moved to Charleston in Sussex in 1916. Tate Britain’s Vanessa Bell & Duncan Grant: Inside Bloomsbury opens on 12 November 2026, with more than 300 works and their studio restaged from Charleston.

Tate gave him a retrospective in 1959 and holds 28 of his works today.

Duncan Grant: the essentials

Born at Rothiemurchus, Inverness-shire, in 1885; died in 1978.
Studied at Westminster School of Art from 1902, in Italy in 1902 to 1903, and at La Palette in Paris in 1906 to 1907.
Joined the Camden Town Group in 1911; represented at the Venice Biennale in 1926 and 1932.
Co-directed the Omega Workshops with Vanessa Bell, 1913 to 1919.
Tate held a retrospective of his work in 1959.

Duncan Grant exhibitions

Coming up: Vanessa Bell & Duncan Grant: Inside Bloomsbury, Tate Britain, 12 November 2026 to 11 April 2027. More than 300 works, with their studio restaged from Charleston. £20, concessions £19, Tate Collective £5, free for Members.

Where to buy a Duncan Grant print

Tate’s shop sells the exhibition book and made-to-order prints:

Vanessa Bell & Duncan Grant exhibition book: paperback £30 (reduced from £35) or hardback £40 (reduced from £45) when we checked, 27.5 x 22.7 cm (10.8 x 8.9 in), from the Tate shop.
Bathing custom print, from £30: printed to order, from the Tate shop.

Duncan Grant FAQs

Where was Duncan Grant born?

At Rothiemurchus, Inverness-shire, in 1885.

What is Charleston?

The farmhouse in Sussex where Duncan Grant and Vanessa Bell lived and worked from 1916.

When is the Duncan Grant exhibition at Tate Britain?

Vanessa Bell & Duncan Grant: Inside Bloomsbury runs from 12 November 2026 to 11 April 2027.

Can I buy a Duncan Grant print?

Yes. Tate’s shop sells made-to-order prints, including Bathing, from £30.

Duncan Grant