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Vanessa Bell: A World of Form and Colour
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 30, 2024
This was a lovely surprise from my hubster, a companion art catalogue to an exhibition that is currently running at MK Gallery (Milton Keynes, UK).
Vanessa Bell is part of the Bloomsbury Group and Virginia Woolf’s sister. She is lesser known for her art than Woolf is known for her writing. The first time I saw Bell’s art I was struck by its difference, her brush work is mostly loose, there is a love for colour, and you can just feel she is constantly playing with ideas; her art is not just painting but also crafts (pottery, furniture, fabrics) and interior decorating. I love how this catalogue shows this.
This catalogue also includes a handful of art works by others and very brief personal accounts from 4 women artists who have been inspired by Vanessa Bell. Most works in the catalogue come with commentary, but I wouldn’t have minded a bit more technical detail. I was also a touch disappointed by the lack of depth in the writing but I think this is more geared for those who are new to her work or art. And in the end, I don’t mind because what makes this for me are the photos of Vanessa Bell’s works.
Vanessa Bell is part of the Bloomsbury Group and Virginia Woolf’s sister. She is lesser known for her art than Woolf is known for her writing. The first time I saw Bell’s art I was struck by its difference, her brush work is mostly loose, there is a love for colour, and you can just feel she is constantly playing with ideas; her art is not just painting but also crafts (pottery, furniture, fabrics) and interior decorating. I love how this catalogue shows this.
This catalogue also includes a handful of art works by others and very brief personal accounts from 4 women artists who have been inspired by Vanessa Bell. Most works in the catalogue come with commentary, but I wouldn’t have minded a bit more technical detail. I was also a touch disappointed by the lack of depth in the writing but I think this is more geared for those who are new to her work or art. And in the end, I don’t mind because what makes this for me are the photos of Vanessa Bell’s works.
February 21, 2026
I've read a lot of Virginia Woolf, Vanessa Bell's sister, but I had never studied Vanessa's own art. This book is a descriptive catalogue from an exhibit of Vanessa Bell's paintings, ceramics, textile designs, and more. It represents both her own work and her collaborations, often with Duncan Grant.
While I came to the book to learn more about how she fit into her sister's life and her creative family as well as to explore her paintings for possible visual inspiration, I stayed also for the ceramics and unexpected snippets of history interspersed with the art and chronology, including a famous painting that a friend brought when he visited and initially left by the side of the road (!), the sad death of Vanessa's eldest child in war, and the unconventional projects that impacted her art and her life.
This book will appeal to anyone who wants to know more about the Bloomsbury Group, Virginia Woolf's sister as a talented creator in her own right and genres, or anyone who paints or studies art history. Readers already familiar with Vanessa and curious about the art exhibition where these works were once displayed would also enjoy it. For others, it will likely be a pass, just because it is very specific, niche topic.
The color plates in this book are rich and interesting to peruse and/or try to sketch for drawing practice. From a practical and design standpoint, it's almost but not quite the size of a coffee-table book. I like that it's lighter and in paperback format, as it makes it more portable.
While I came to the book to learn more about how she fit into her sister's life and her creative family as well as to explore her paintings for possible visual inspiration, I stayed also for the ceramics and unexpected snippets of history interspersed with the art and chronology, including a famous painting that a friend brought when he visited and initially left by the side of the road (!), the sad death of Vanessa's eldest child in war, and the unconventional projects that impacted her art and her life.
This book will appeal to anyone who wants to know more about the Bloomsbury Group, Virginia Woolf's sister as a talented creator in her own right and genres, or anyone who paints or studies art history. Readers already familiar with Vanessa and curious about the art exhibition where these works were once displayed would also enjoy it. For others, it will likely be a pass, just because it is very specific, niche topic.
The color plates in this book are rich and interesting to peruse and/or try to sketch for drawing practice. From a practical and design standpoint, it's almost but not quite the size of a coffee-table book. I like that it's lighter and in paperback format, as it makes it more portable.
June 30, 2026
Beautiful introduction to Vanessa Bell. Some of her pieces resonated with me and her life was fascinating.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews