In the second installment of our new 'Charleston: The Bloomsbury Muse' film series, Philip discusses Duncan Grant’s portrait of John Maynard Keynes, painted in 1917.

Keynes was an important component to Charleston life. He contributed to its upkeep and even had his own room there, where he wrote part of his most significant work; The Economic Consequences of Peace (1919), which changed the course of contemporary economics.

The great economist is here depicted in the garden at Charleston, and is purported to be writing to America, in an attempt to secure a loan for Britain’s war effort.

This activity may seem odd, given that Charleston was a pacifist household, however its depiction epitomises the freedom and open-mindedness found in both the Bloomsbury Group and Charleston.

Visit our exhibition page for 'Charleston: The Bloomsbury Muse' here: https://philipmould.com/exhibitions/2...