Rembering Chloe Grimshaw

The Grimshaw Foundation’s Creative Director and Trustee, Chloe Grimshaw, has passed away after a short illness. Chloe played an instrumental role in setting up the Foundation alongside her father, Sir Nicholas Grimshaw, and brought to it her extraordinary imagination and her infectious enthusiasm for bringing people together, nurturing ideas and creating opportunities for others.

A writer, curator and creative director, Chloe trained at Goldsmiths, University of London and built a career collaborating with artists, designers and architects. The author of four books on art, design and interiors, in 2016 she co-founded Plinth with her partner, Paul Franklyn where she curated a programme of free talks, events, exhibitions and limited-edition prints. Chloe also worked with the Mayor of London’s team on major public art projects in Trafalgar Square and Parliament Square, and with curator Ekow Eshun on a public art installation in King’s Cross. Her ambition was simply to take art out of galleries and into the community.

At the Grimshaw Foundation, Chloe embodied its mission of elevating creativity as an essential skill for the future, and through education programmes, workshops and talks, she worked to break down the barriers that often separate the worlds of architecture, design and art. Her aim was always to put young people at the heart of everything the Foundation did, helping them discover confidence, curiosity and purpose.

Under her creative direction, the Foundation led initiatives including an education programme with the Royal Albert Hall, a yearly residential at the Architectural Association’s Hooke Park, and the Annual Art Lecture series at the RIBA, reaching over 600 students across 15 schools, supported by more than 150 volunteers.

Chloe was the driving force behind the Foundation’s artist programme, shaping and curating the Annual Art Lecture. Its inaugural lecture was given by Antony Gormley, with later lectures from Cornelia Parker, Hew Locke and, most recently, Jeremy Deller. She championed the power of bringing these exceptional artists into direct conversation with young people who might otherwise never encounter them.

“Chloe wanted creativity to be experienced rather than observed, and she had an extraordinary ability to connect artists, educators, architects, cultural organisations and young people in ways that made everyone feel welcome and inspired. For those of us who had the privilege of working alongside Chloe, her absence is felt every day. But so too is her presence. It lives on in every young person who discovers a creative passion, every partnership that opens new possibilities, every conversation that brings different disciplines together, and every opportunity the Foundation creates for the next generation.”

Andrew Whalley Trustee

The loss of Chloe is immeasurable, for the Foundation, for the schools, students and partners she did so much to bring together, and most of all for her family and friends. She will be remembered for her generosity of spirit, her passion for education and the arts, and her commitment to creating opportunities for young people.

The Foundation’s thoughts are with Chloe’s partner, Paul, and daughter, Ella, her mother, Lady Lavinia, and her sister, Isabel. She will be greatly missed by everyone who had the privilege of knowing and working with her.

“Chloe was incredibly kind with her time, with both myself and, more importantly, our students. She attended every exhibition and Grimshaw project here at Regent High School since we started. Her ability to make someone feel like the most important person in the room was incredible. I remember her once spending over 20 minutes with one A Level student talking through her whole project. This is time she didn’t have to give, but did so gladly.”

Charlie Welch Special Advisor