Roger Fry at Charleston #1 – Roger Fry’s Tang Horse

Posted: January 4th, 2026 | No Comments »

Charleston, the former home of Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant in East Sussex, is currently hosting the first major exhibition in over 25 years dedicated to their friend and Bloomsburyite, Roger Fry as a painter, unveiling a lesser-known aspect of one of the most influential figures in 20th-century British art. Best known for his work as an art critic, writer, and curator, Fry was instrumental in bringing post-impressionism to England. His 1910 and 1912 exhibitions at the Grafton Galleries in London, featuring Cézanne, Matisse, Van Gogh, and others, were revolutionary. The exhibition is on till the 15 March 2026, at Charleston (details here).

One thing the exhibition does stress is that Fry studied, collected and promoted art and antiquities from Asia, including China….below is his painting (included in the exhibition) – Still Life with T’ang Horse c.1919-21….

And the actual sculpture of a T’ang horse (618-907) that was in Fry’s collection and sat in his studio at Durbins, near Guildford….

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