Virginia Woolf & Bloomsbury FESTIVAL

Two vibrant days celebrating the spirit and art of the Bloomsbury Group.

​This year’s focus, CHARLESTON IS NOT A DANCE, refers to Charleston in Sussex (UK), the beating heart of the Bloomsbury circle, where art and craft merged into one creative whole.

During the festival, De Studio becomes for two days a central meeting point, a hub of ideas, legacy, and exchange.

With a remarkable line-up of international keynote speakers, a world premiere exhibition in the Hendrik Conscience Heritage Library an inspiring Bloomsbury Dinner created by young artists, looping documentaries, and a table exhibition featuring unique tableware made by emerging Belgian and British artists.

Books by the invited lecturers, along with a carefully curated selection of Bloomsbury-related titles, will be available daily at De Studio, at the bookshop booth hosted by one of Antwerp's most renowned bookstores

The festival offers a fresh perspective on Bloomsbury’s enduring influence.

A festival-cafe will be open at De Studio during the weekend.

A feast for thinkers, creators and dreamers!​

Vanessa Bell Weekend Package
Opening + all lectures + Bloomsbury Dinner
Tickets

Friday 5 December

Official opening of the festival
Concert by Pierre Fontenelle & Max Charue
New Bloomsbury Composition, Drinks & Bites

6:30pm – Casa Lozana – Lange Lozanastraat 240, Antwerp
Tickets

Saturday 6 December

My Childhood at Charleston – Virginia Nicholson interviewed by Annelies Beck
Virginia Nicholson is the granddaughter of Vanessa Bell, Chair of the Charleston Trust and author of many books.

11:00am – De Studio – Maarschalk Gérardstraat 4, 2000 Antwerp
Tickets

Is Craft Art? – Darren Clarke
Discover the fascinating story of the Omega Workshops, whose Bloomsbury artists brought abstract shapes and bold colors from modern art into designs for the home. Darren Clarke – Head of Collections, Research and Exhibitions at the Charleston Trust – speaks about the Omega Workshop.

3:30pm – De Studio – Maarschalk Gérardstraat 4, 2000 Antwerp
Tickets

Artistic Bloomsbury Dinner
Six Belgian and two British artists will create unique tableware and scenography for this special evening. A young Belgian chef will prepare a menu inspired by original Bloomsbury recipes. Each dish will be introduced and historically framed within the Bloomsbury context by writer and journalist Eric Rinckhout. Belgian Artists: Fleur De Roeck, Sam Druant, Justine Grillet, Nel Maertens, Daan Peeters & Celina Vleugels. British Artists: Rosie Reed & Finbar Ward. Chef: Ella Fait. The unique tableware pieces will be available for purchase; proceeds go to the artists and The Gordon Square Society.

6:00pm until 11:00pm – De Studio – Maarschalk Gérardstraat 4, 2000 Antwerp
Tickets

Sunday 7 December

The Art of Being Modern – Alexandra Harris
Alexandra Harris is Professor English at the University of Birmingham and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. She is the author of many books and essays and renowned for her inspiring and eloquent lectures.

11:00am – De Studio – Maarschalk Gérardstraat 4, 2000 Antwerp
Tickets

Sense of Place – Gert Voorjans
Gert Voorjans is an iconic Belgian tastemaker and interior architect renowned for his unique style. He has designed homes for some of the world’s leading residential and corporate clients. Drawing on influences from East and West, he creates richly layered environments suffused with colour, each one visually stunning.

3:30pm – De Studio – Maarschalk Gérardstraat 4, 2000 Antwerp
Tickets

Documentary screening & table exhibition 
Looping documentaries on Duncan Grant and Charleston will be screened in the Rotonda.
Table exhibition will be on view where one can purchase unique pieces of tableware made by young Belgian and British artists.

10:30am until 7:00pm – De Studio – Maarschalk Gérardstraat 4, 2000 Antwerp
Free visit