Cressida Bell's life in pictures

Artist, cake decorator and illustrator Cressida Bell is the daughter of critic and artist Quentin Bell, granddaughter of Vanessa Bell and great-niece of Virginia Woolf. She talks us through her and her illustrious family through her favourite images.

You may also like: Inside Charleston | Vanessa Bell exhibition preview

Charleston, former home of artists Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant, and weekend retreat of The Bloomsbury Group before the First World War and beyond. 

As soon as Vanessa and Duncan moved into Charleston, they began to paint, not just on canvas, but over every available surface - walls, of course, but also tables, chairs, bed heads and bookcases; all glowed with swirls and spirals of colour and pattern. A modern embodiment of the style can be found in the work of the artist Cressida Bell, Vanessa's granddaughter, who takes private commissions, should you want your own slice of Charleston magic.  

Take a look at Cressida's favourite memories

Vanessa Bell's book jackets which I find wonderfully original and evocative. 'On Being Ill' seems to say it all - headache, gloom, pills and pain.

Pinterest
Pin It
A portrait of Vanessa Bell by Duncan Grant. I treated Duncan as a grandfather and knew him until his death (when I was 19).  Although not an actual relation he seemed like one - and of course he had a long-lasting love for my grandmother.
Pinterest
Pin It

A portrait of my father Quentin Bell, by his mother Vanessa.  This was given to the lovely Grace Higgens, the Charleston cook and housekeeper, but after her death her family returned it to ours.
Pinterest
Pin It
 
My grandmother Vanessa Bell holding me as a baby in the garden at Charleston.  She knew me, but sadly I have no memory of her.
Pinterest
Pin It

With my mother Olivier Bell in her Sussex garden, from House & Garden July 2010. Olivier had an excellent relationship with her mother-in-law Vanessa and they corresponded frequently - often about my brother, sister and me.

Pinterest
Pin It

My 'Bloomsbury Bouquet' cake. One of Vanessa's great achievements was the garden at Charleston, which was a work of art in itself. We loved it as children and it is still beautiful today.

Pinterest
Pin It

A rug designed for the Charleston Trust.  My __design is abstracted from the Charleston pond with its bull-rushes surrounded by undergrowth, statuary and pathways. I am told that one similarity between my work and Vanessa's is our mutual fondness for circles - and stripes 

Pinterest
Pin It



Written by