Entertainment · Books & Arts · 9 hrs ago
Duncan Grant and Paul Roche’s 32-year bond shaped a family
Duncan Grant and Paul Roche’s bond lasted 32 years, ending when Grant died in 1978 at age 93.
Grant was a painter and a key figure in the Bloomsbury group, while Roche was a poet, writer and translator of Greek plays.
They met in London in 1946, when Roche was a Catholic priest and Grant invited him to see paintings.
Roche later left the priesthood, and Grant became his guide to art and the arts.
Roche’s daughter says the family understood how devoted the two men were, and accepted that their father loved Grant deeply.
The family did not see their bond as a competition for their father’s love, though the daughter says others later misread it as a romance.
Her account recalls how Grant’s influence reached beyond Roche to shape the family’s life.
Duncan Grant and Paul Roche’s relationship lasted 32 years, until Grant died in 1978.
Roche was a poet, writer and translator of Greek plays, while Grant was a painter, designer and key figure in the Bloomsbury group.
They met in London in 1946, when Roche was a Roman Catholic priest.
Roche’s youngest child says the family accepted his devotion to Grant and willingly shared him.
- Who
- Duncan Grant, a painter and Bloomsbury group figure, and Paul Roche, a poet, writer and translator.
- What
- Their 32-year relationship shaped Roche’s family life and introduced him to the arts.
- When
- They met in 1946; their relationship ended when Grant died in 1978.
- Where
- They met at Piccadilly Circus in London. Grant died at the family home in Aldermaston, Berkshire.
- Why
- Not stated
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Grant and Roche met while trying to cross the road at Piccadilly Circus in London.
Roche left the priesthood and became a writer, poet and translator of Greek plays.
Grant died at the Roche family home in Aldermaston, ending their 32-year relationship.
- Relationship
- 32 years
- First meeting
- 1946, Piccadilly Circus, London
- Grant’s death
- 1978, aged 93
- Roche’s family
- Father of five; the article’s narrator was the youngest
- Roche’s age at Grant’s death
- 61
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