Chenil Gallery

The original Chenil Gallery was an old Georgian house situated between Chelsea Town Hall and the Six Bells Public-House located at 183a King’s Road Chelsea and known as Charles Chenil & Co. Ltd. It opened in 1906 and was run by Jack Knewstub who was a brother-in-law to both William Rothenstein and William Orpen. Knewstub ran the business not only as an art gallery and dealership but as a frame maker and artist colour-man supplying all the needs of the local art milieu. It has also been suggested that the dealership operated largely for the benefit of Augustus John who sold many of his paintings through the Chenil. Indeed it is known that John had a large studio in the rear garden of the gallery and executed many of his Canadian World War I pictures there. All of this followed an earlier venture between John and Knewstub when in 1903 they opened the short-lived Chelsea Art School with the former as Principal and the latter as Secretary.

In 1925 the building was refurbished and it also acquired adjoining premises with the initial exhibition being a sculpture show organised by the Chelsea Arts Club. The intentions of the New Chenil Galleries to have not only picture galleries, but sculpture galleries and an art school and repertory theatre far outstripped Knewstub’s resources. Knewstub was made bankrupt in 1927 and Charles Chenil & Co. Ltd was voluntarily wound up. Interestingly, according the diaries of artist William Roberts, Jack Knewstub was seen by Roberts selling fruit and vegetables from a barrow in a street in Hastings, Sussex a few years after the gallery ceased to trade. The gallery as an exhibiting entity however seemed to function until the mid-1950's.

A London based gallery with the same name was operational in the 1970's and 1980's. It is not known if they were related.