Frank Woodgate: The art and scandalous lives of the Bloomsbury Group
10th October 2025
Covering the works of Duncan Grant, Vanessa Bell and Roger Fry, this talk explores the lives of key Bloomsbury artists and those around them. The talk centres around the so-called ‘Art-quake of 1910’, when Roger Fry changed the London art scene with his landmark exhibition ‘Manet and the Post-Impressionists’.
In the winter of 1910, the exhibition garnered an immense response from the broader public and British art scene. Centring Grant, Bell and Fry, Frank Woodgate discusses the impact of this exhibition alongside the relationships of the Bloomsbury artists. The entangled lives of the Bloomsbury Group are explored in dialogue with their broader impact, an important consideration given the presence of the artists in the public eye.
When: 10th October 2025, 1-2 pm.
Where: Shoe Lane Library and online via Zoom.
Tickets: Visit this link to book your free ticket.
Cecil Beaton’s Garden Party
Until 21st September 2025
“My garden is the greatest joy of my life, after my friends. Both are worth living for.”
- Cecil Beaton, 1979
Cecil Beaton boasts a fantastically eccentric career as a photographer, designer and artist. The Garden Museum is the first to stage an exhibition investigating the influence of gardens and flowers in Beaton’s work. The impact of flowers in his public and private life is explored, ranging from his own floral displays to his costume designs for My Fair Lady. Beaton’s reputation as a designer is extended in a far more intimate manner than before, creating a picture of his own interests and personal connections.
The exhibition highlights the fluidity between Beaton’s private life and public designs. The importance of gardens and flowers are shown in his diary entries and family photographs, all of which are traced through to his theatre set and costume designs.
When: From 14th May until 21st September 2025.
Where: Garden Museum, London.
Tickets: Entry included in museum admission, visit the Garden Museum’s website to book your tickets.
Inventing Post-Impressionism:
Works from The Barber Institute of Fine Arts
Until 8th of November
In collaboration with The Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of Birmingham, Charleston are revisiting the 1910 and 1912 Post-Impressionist exhibitions at the Grafton Galleries in London, spearheaded by Roger Fry. The influence of Post-Impressionist painting on the Bloomsbury Group was immense; Fry in particular saw Post-Impressionism as a way to invigorate the London art scene.
The exhibition at the Wolfson Gallery in Charleston includes landmarks of early nineteenth-century painting. Featuring works by Vincent van Gogh, Paul Cézanne and many more, the exhibition acts as a physical manifestation of the Bloomsbury Group’s sources of inspiration. The exhibition highlights the impact of Post-Impressionism on British art, exploring its legacy in Bloomsbury works and beyond.
When: 8 March–2 November 2025.
Where: Wolfson Gallery, Charleston in Firle.
Tickets: £11/Please visit Charleston House’s website to book your tickets.
