Biography
Duncan Grant was born in Aviemore, Scotland in 1885. Educated in England from a very early age, Duncan Grant was to attend Westminster School of Art from 1902, subsequently studying at the Slade School, and also in both Italy and Paris, where he met and spent time with both Matisse and Picasso.
Introduced to the famous Bloomsbury group, Duncan Grant was to become a central and important figure in the movement, and was to have a relationship with Vanessa Bell, then and to become an artist of international standing and sister of Virginia Woolf, also a group member.
Duncan was to become a key figure within the Omega Workshops from 1913 to 1919, and was closely allied to Roger Fry and Vanessa and Clive Bell, with a first exhibition at the Grafton Gallery, London, in 1912.
Duncan was introduced to Paul Roche in 1946, the influential poet and novelist, an introduction that was later to become a long-lasting relationship. In his latter years, Duncan was supported by Paul, at his home, Charleston, in Sussex, up to Duncan's death in 1978.
Duncan Grant is regarded as one of Britain's most important and influential painters of the twentieth century. In 1959, the Tate held a retrospective exhibition, with numerous international exhibitions subsequently. Works by Duncan can be found in numerous international public and private collections, including the Tate and National Gallery