7 Artists homes you can visit

This week I'm taking a different tack from the usual blog and bringing you some great destinations to expand your knowledge of art. There's nothing quite like an artists studio, they're messy and dangerous, especially if you're wearing good clothes. I rarely escape a studio without some form of paint or substance on me. However, the studio visit does allow you to see into the process which the artist uses to create the beautiful things they do. They are usually surrounded with imagery to stimulate them or remind them of what they're trying to accomplish in their current work.

Firstly I should clarify from the title, that I am not giving out Artists home addresses here. You won't be knocking on Tracey Emins front door and asking to see her living room. All of these artists are deceased and their homes have been left to Trusts or purchased by them as properties of historical importance.

So let's dive in and begin with a name we all know -

1) JMW Turner, 40 Sandycoombe Road, Twickenham, London, TW1 2LR

Turner is the pinnacle of British art. In modern parlance - The GOAT (Greatest of all time) in so far as British painting goes. He would later be admired by the Impressionists and painted in a way that had never been seen before and in many ways since.In the house that he designed and built, situated in Twickenham, the property has been painstakingly restored to its former glory, with the assistance of National Lottery monies. There are open tours and guided tours of the property.

https://turnershouse.org/visit-us/

2) Henry Moore - Hoglands, Perry Green, Much Hadham, Hertfordshire, SG10 6EE.

Next, we move from the greatest painter in British History to the greatest Sculptor. Henry Moore was the pinnacle of British 20th Century sculpture. His large scale works are dotted all around the world and his importance as an artist cannot be understated.Owned by the Henry Moore Foundation, this sprawling 72 Acre site exhibits different collections of Moore's work and has the space to house his larger outdoor pieces. There are also works which Moore collected during his lifetime, including pieces by Picasso, Mondrian, Rembrandt and many more.

https://www.henry-moore.org/visit/henry-moore-studios-gardens

3) Barbara Hepworth - Barnoon Hill, St Ives, Cornwall, TR26 1AD

From the greatest British male Sculptor of the 20th Century, we transition into the Greatest Female Sculptor of the last century - Barbara Hepworth. Hepworth lived and worked in St Ives and was a founder of the famous Penwith Artists Group along with her husband Ben Nicholson. In 1975 Hepworth Died and her will asked that the property be opened to the public, and the house be left intact. This wish was fulfilled and the property can still be enjoyed today.

https://www.tate.org.uk/visit/tate-st-ives/barbara-hepworth-museum-and-sculpture-garden

4) Dora Gordine - Dorich House Museum, Kingston University 67, Kingston Vale, London, Greater London, SW15 3RN

Dora Gordine was an Estonian 20th Century Sculptor who lived and worked in England. The property is truly a gem in the London area, a rich Art Deco design which houses the largest collection of the artists work. Now owned by Kingston University, it truly is a wonderful example of this type of architecture, it also houses a fabulous collection of Modern Art which is well worth seeing.

http://www.dorichhousemuseum.org.uk

5) Charles Rennie Mackintosh - The Mackintosh House, Hunterian Art Gallery, 82 Hillhead Street, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ

As is often the case, many a property is destroyed only later for it to be discovered of national importance. Such was the case with Charles Rennie Mackintosh's house in Glasgow. The original was demolished and we are left with a painstakingly recreated approximation of it. Without the house they struggled with the recreation, however, there were photographs and textiles which allowed the avid team to faithfully recreate the interior. Decorated in the furniture and art associated with the famous Art Nouveau movement of which Mackintosh was a leading figure. Utilising his designs, the property is stunning, even in today's modern world, the interior looks futuristic and stylish.

https://www.gla.ac.uk/hunterian/collections/permanentdisplays/themackintoshhouse/

6) Vanessa Bell And Duncan Grant - Charleston Farmhouse, Near Firle, Lewes, East Sussex, BN8 6LL

The Bloomsbury Group of artists is one of the most famous in the UK, and Charleston House was the epicentre of that movement. Venessa Bell and Duncan Grant both lived there from 1916 onwards. The property became a melting pot of free thinkers, and artists of all persuasions were at times in residfence - Painters, poets, writers, sculptors, they all came to be inspired by the group. What we have today is a property of significant importance in the history of art and culture in Britain. Carefully restored and opened to the public in 1986 the house boasts works by all the artist who worked there and many of the artists who inspired them, such as Picasso and Renoir.

http://www.charleston.org.uk/

7) Frederic Lord Leighton - Leighton House, 12 Holland Park Road,London, Greater London, W14 8LZ

We finish this Blog with a true Titan of Victorian Art, an artist whose versatility in medium saw him create iconic paintings and also usher in a new age of Sculpture with his 1878 bronze, An Athlete Wrestling with a Python, which I have seen in the flesh and truly adore. Leighton was the president of the Royal Academy of Art in London for 18 years, a post he held with great pride. Indeed on his deathbed, his last words were 'My love to the Academy'. Leightons House was as creative as he was. The Arabic Hall is the centre of the attraction and is filled with over 1000 Islamic tiles. Visited by the great Victorian artists of the day, this house brims with history and is a must-see destination for any art lover.

http://www.rbkc.gov.uk/subsites/museums.aspx