The Duncan Grant Chapel
Lincoln
Lincoln Cathedral
Duncan Grant (1885-1978) was from Scottish aristocratic roots, he was an influential artist of the early 20th century. He was a conscientious objector in the First World War and member of the Bloomsbury Group, whose attitudes towards feminism, pacifism and sexuality brought them great notoriety. Though homosexual, he had a daughter called Angelica by his 40 year platonic relationship with Vanessa Bell the sister of Virginia Woolf.
In 1953 Grant was commissioned to decorate Lincoln Cathedral’s Russell Chantry with a set of murals depicting the Biblical story of the Good Shepherd. The murals were unveiled in 1959 but remained private for a number of years, possibly because Grant chose to put too much of his own life into the paintings. The Chapel was kept locked from 1964 to 1977. The first colour Cathedral guidebook made no mention of the murals, in fact the guide to the cathedral we were given on entry makes no mention of them, but the web site does. The chapel continued to be locked and used as a storeroom with cupboards against the walls covering the murals until 1990, when they were reopened for public view after being restored.
This completes the series from Lincoln Cathedral.
Thank you for your visit and your comments, they are greatly appreciated.
The Duncan Grant Chapel
Lincoln
Lincoln Cathedral
Duncan Grant (1885-1978) was from Scottish aristocratic roots, he was an influential artist of the early 20th century. He was a conscientious objector in the First World War and member of the Bloomsbury Group, whose attitudes towards feminism, pacifism and sexuality brought them great notoriety. Though homosexual, he had a daughter called Angelica by his 40 year platonic relationship with Vanessa Bell the sister of Virginia Woolf.
In 1953 Grant was commissioned to decorate Lincoln Cathedral’s Russell Chantry with a set of murals depicting the Biblical story of the Good Shepherd. The murals were unveiled in 1959 but remained private for a number of years, possibly because Grant chose to put too much of his own life into the paintings. The Chapel was kept locked from 1964 to 1977. The first colour Cathedral guidebook made no mention of the murals, in fact the guide to the cathedral we were given on entry makes no mention of them, but the web site does. The chapel continued to be locked and used as a storeroom with cupboards against the walls covering the murals until 1990, when they were reopened for public view after being restored.
This completes the series from Lincoln Cathedral.
Thank you for your visit and your comments, they are greatly appreciated.