1 OF 21 
Vanessa Bell
1 of 21 portraits of Vanessa Bell
© DACS 2021
Share this
Vanessa Bell
by Duncan Grant
oil on canvas, 1917
50 in. x 40 in. (1270 mm x 1016 mm)
Purchased, 1982
Primary Collection
NPG 5541
Sitterback to top
- Vanessa Bell (née Stephen) (1879-1961), Painter; sister of Virginia Woolf. Sitter in 21 portraits, Artist or producer associated with 14 portraits.
Artistback to top
- Duncan Grant (1885-1978), Artist. Artist or producer of 9 portraits, Sitter associated with 31 portraits.
This portraitback to top
Bell began to work with Grant, a younger painter whose work she admired, from around 1913 and they subsequently fell in love. This is one of two portraits of Bell by Duncan Grant in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery. Its use of rich, vibrant colour and pattern demonstrates Grant's adoption of a Post-Impressionist style. At the time the portrait was painted, Bell was also experimenting with bold colour and simplified form in her own painting.
Linked publicationsback to top
- Edited by Lucy Peltz & Louise Stewart, Love Stories: Art, Passion & Tragedy, 2020, p. 49
- Gibson, Robin, Treasures from the National Portrait Gallery, 1996, p. 105
- Saywell, David; Simon, Jacob, Complete Illustrated Catalogue, 2004, p. 48
- Spalding, Frances, The Bloomsbury Group, 2013, p. 47
- Spalding, Frances, Insights: The Bloomsbury Group, 2005, p. 4,42
Placesback to top
- Place made and portrayed: United Kingdom: England, Sussex (sitter's home, Charleston, Firle, Lewes, East Sussex)
Subjects & Themesback to top
Events of 1917back to top
Current affairs
King George V changes his name from 'Saxe-Coburg' to 'Windsor.' Amid wartime anti-German public sentiment the British Royal Family decided to relinquish their German name and titles. The name 'Windsor' was chosen as variation on ''Wettin', the late Prince Albert's personal surname.Art and science
The National Photographic Record is established at the instigation of the photographer Walter Stoneman to commission photographs of 'distinguished living contemporaries of British nationality.' This project allowed the National Portrait Gallery to circumvent its own rule that portraits could not enter the collection until the sitter had been dead ten years.International
The Russian Revolution begins with the February Revolution and the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II. Seven months later the Bolsheviks led by Vladimir Lenin seize power in the October Revolution forming the Soviet Communist Government, which lasted until 1991. The USA abandons its neutrality and joins the war against Germany following a series of attacks on American passenger and merchant ships.Tell us more back to top
Can you tell us more about this portrait? Spotted an error, information that is missing (a sitter’s life dates, occupation or family relationships, or a date of portrait for example) or do you know anything that we don't know? If you have information to share please complete the form below.
If you require information from us, please use our Archive enquiry service. You can buy a print of most illustrated portraits. Select the portrait of interest to you, then look out for a Buy a Print button. Prices start at £6 for unframed prints, £25 for framed prints. If you wish to license this image, please use our Rights and Images service.
Please note that we cannot provide valuations.
We digitise over 8,000 portraits a year and we cannot guarantee being able to digitise images that are not already scheduled.
