Roger Fry and Bloomsbury - Courtauld Gallerly, Tare Gallery, London, England - Brief Article

Magazine Antiques, Nov, 1999 by Miriam Kramer

The multifaceted activities of Roger Fry (1866-1934) influenced early twentieth- century British thought on art. In the early years of his career as an artist, critic, and organizer of exhibitions, Fry specialized in the art of the Italian Renaissance. In 1906 he discovered the paintings of Paul Cezanne, and from that point on he was an ardent supporter of modern French art. He coined the term postimpressionism and arranged the landmark exhibitions that carried that name at the Grafton Galleries in 1910 and 1912, where the works of Cezanne, Vincent van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, Henri Matisse, and others were launched onto a somewhat unwilling British public. In 1913 Fry, with his Bloomsbury colleagues Duncan Grant and Vanessa Bell, founded the Omega Workshops. Loosely based on William Morris's notions of coordinated interior design, the enterprise designed and produced furniture, textiles, and ceramics that attempted to wed modern decorative art and daily life.

Two exhibitions in London commemorate aspects of Fry's career. Art Made Modern: Roger Fry's Vision of Art, on view at the Courtauld Gallery until January 23, 2000, explores Fry's impact on the perception of art in Britain. It is sponsored by the Gabrielle Jungels-Winkler Foundation. The curator is Christopher Green, a professor at the Courtauld Institute, who also edited the catalogue. The latter may be ordered by telephoning 44-171-848-2579.

At the Tare Gallery, The Art of Bloomsbury: Roger Fry, Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant examines the visual (as opposed to the literary) side of Bloomsbury. Sponsored by Prudential, it is on view from November 4 to January 30, 2000, and will then travel to the Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, California (March 4 to April 30, 2000) and the Yale Center for British Art in New Haven, Connecticut (May 20 to September 2, 2000). A catalogue edited by Richard Shone, the exhibition's curator, may be ordered by telephoning 44 -171-887-8869.