"A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction."
Virginia Woolf wrote those memorable words back in the late 1920s, referring to the fact that women of her time were often denied the space and opportunity to be creative beings. Decades later, the phrase would inspire "Womanhouse," the historic installation and performance space that functioned as an incubator for early feminist artists like Judy Chicago and Miriam Schapiro. From literature to fine art and beyond, Woolf has long been a presence across the intellectual world. Just ask Edward Albee, Michael Cunningham, and Simone de Beauvoir, to name just a few icons inspired by her fearless life.
Virginia Woolf by Vanessa Bell c.1912 © Estate of Vanessa Bell, courtesy Henrietta Garnett. Photo credit: © National Trust / Charles Thomas
Looking back, the famous modernist, born in 1882, was always much more than a novelist. She was a philosopher, an activist, a protofeminist, a cultural critic, a wife, an advocate for mental health issues, a lover, a master of the English language. She was a woman with many faces, which is fitting, given the fact that the National Portrait Gallery in London has opted to honor Woolf with an exhibition of the various paintings and photographs honoring her image.
Titled "Virginia Woolf: Art, Life and Vision," the show includes a variety of portraits by Vanessa Bell and Roger Fry as well as archival material depicting her personal life. Photographs by George Charles Beresford and Man Ray are on view, along with personal objects like letters and books. From the moment she published her first novel, The Voyage Out in 1915, to the last novel published during her lifetime, The Years, curator Frances Spalding follows the career of a woman who pulled practical jokes with celebrity poets, fraternized with famous sculptors and once conducted a love affair with a noble female author.
Spalding outlines these milestones and more in an accompanying biography, which takes the same name as the exhibition. "This book catches Woolf’s appearance and that of the world around her," NPG explains online. "It also points to her pursuit of the hidden, the fleeting and obscure, in her desire to understand better the place and moment in which she lived."
Lytton Strachey and Virginia Woolf by Lady Ottoline Morrell © National Portrait Gallery, London
Spalding herself is an academic authority on the Bloomsbury Group, the well-known collective of writers, artists and thinkers that took British culture by storm in the first half of the 20th century. Woolf was a so-called member, along with John Maynard Keynes, E. M. Forster, Lytton Strachey, Clive and Vanessa Bell, Duncan Grant, Roger Fry and Desmond MacCarthy. Though the group was somewhat secretive about their associations, they met loosely to discuss all aspects of the arts and politics.
"Because of her imaginative reach and the power of her use of words," Spalding explained to The Gaurdian, "the moment you read her your mind expands, it alters, it reaches out for ideas and thoughts you haven't had before. If you doubt that, go back and read the first 12 pages of Mrs Dalloway and you'll see what I mean."
Scroll through a preview of the portrait extravaganza below. For more on Spalding's tour de Woolf, head over to NPG's website here or visit the show before it closes on October 26.
Virginia Woolf by Vanessa Bell, c.1912 © National Portrait Gallery, London
T.S. Eliot and Virginia Woolf by Lady Ottoline Morrell, June 1924 © National Portrait Gallery, London
Virginia Woolf by Man Ray, 27 November 1934 © Rheinisches Bildarchiv Cologne © Man Ray Trust / ADAGP, Paris and DACS, London 2014
A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf, Hogarth Press, 1929, cover design by Vanessa Bell © Estate of Vanessa Bell, courtesy of Henrietta Garnett. Image: Victoria University Library
Virginia and Leonard Woolf by Gisele Freund, 1939 © Estate Gisèle Freund / IMEC Images
Virginia Stephen by George Charles Beresford, July 1902 ©National Portrait Gallery, London
Virginia Woolf, oil on canvas by Duncan Grant c.1911 © 2013. Image copyright The Metropolitan Museum ofArt/Art Resource/Scala, Florence Photo: © Estate of Duncan Grant. All rights reserved, DACS 2014
Virginia Woolf by Gisèle Freund, 1939 Private Collection © Gisèle Freund/IMEC/Fonds MCC
Three Guineas by Virginia Woolf, Hogarth Press, 1938, cover design by Vanessa Bell © Estate of Vanessa Bell, courtesy of Henrietta Garnett. Image: Victoria University Library
Leonard Woolf by Henry Lamb, 1912 © Private collection
CORRECTION: A photo of Virginia Woolf and her husband was previously mislabeled and has since been corrected.
Support HuffPost
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
At HuffPost, we believe that everyone needs high-quality journalism, but we understand that not everyone can afford to pay for expensive news subscriptions. That is why we are committed to providing deeply reported, carefully fact-checked news that is freely accessible to everyone.
Whether you come to HuffPost for updates on the 2024 presidential race, hard-hitting investigations into critical issues facing our country today, or trending stories that make you laugh, we appreciate you. The truth is, news costs money to produce, and we are proud that we have never put our stories behind an expensive paywall.
Would you join us to help keep our stories free for all? Your contribution of as little as $2 will go a long way.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you’ll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.