Early influnces  |  A European artist  |  Modernism, Fry and post-impressionism  |  Success in later years

Success in later years

At last we have in England a painter whom Europe may have to take seriously Clive Bell, on Grant's Carfax Gallery exhibition, 1920 After the war Grant was less experimental in his work. The paintings he exhibited at his one-man exhibition at the Carfax Gallery in 1920, are more traditional in style. Gone are the collage elements, bold colours and flat surface decoration of his earlier work, instead there is a renewed interest in the modelling of form. Nevertheless his exhibition was well received, with Clive Bell describing him as 'the best painter in England'. During the 1920s Grant enjoyed his greatest success. He regularly exhibited in the UK and Europe, was included in the Venice Biennale in 1926 and 1932, and his paintings entered museum collections all over the world. In addition, he and Vanessa Bell received a constant stream of offers to collaborate on decorative schemes for public and domestic interiors.   The Morning Post, 'Followers of Cézanne', November 9 1927 © Telegraph Group Ltd

Paintings by Duncan Grant, Carfax Gallery, 1920 © Tate Archive, 2003

His reputation as one of the most important British artists of the day lasted into the 1930s but was damaged by the disastrous Cunard controversy when his designs for a decorative scheme for the RMS Queen Mary ocean liner were rejected. You can read about this and other collaborative projects that Duncan Grant worked on in the Working Together section. Duncan Grant's studio at Charleston © Tate Archive, 2003