Vanessa Branson
Branson in 2016
Born
Vanessa Gay Branson

(1959-06-03) 3 June 1959 (age 64)[1]
Other namesVanessa Devereux
Occupations
  • Businesswoman
  • author
Years active1983–present
Spouse
Robert Devereux
​
​
(m. 1983; div. 1997)​
Children4
Parent
RelativesG. A. H. Branson (grandfather)
Richard Branson
(brother)
Websitevanessabranson.co.uk

Vanessa Branson (born 1959) is an English businesswoman and the founder of the Marrakech Biennale.

Early life

Branson is the youngest child of Eve Branson (née Evette Huntley Flindt; 1924–2021), a former ballet dancer and air hostess,[2] and Edward James "Ted" Branson (1918–2011), a barrister.[3] She was educated at Box Hill School.[4][5] Her brother is founder of Virgin Group, Richard Branson.[6]

Career

Branson opened and ran the Vanessa Devereux Gallery on Blenheim Crescent in London from 1986 until 1991.[7] She had married Robert Devereux in 1983 and they had four children before divorcing in 1997.[5][8]

Between 1999 and 2004, Prue O’Day and Branson curated the Wonderful Fund collection which was first shown at the Museum of Marrackech.[9] Branson is the co-owner of a luxury boutique hotel in Marrakech, El Fenn, which she purchased in 2002 with entrepreneur Howell James.[6][10][11] In 2005 she became the president and founder of the Arts in Marrakech Festival, now known as the Marrakech Biennale.[11][12] In October 2014, Branson was awarded the royal distinction of Officer of the Ouissam Aalouite[13] at the occasion of the ceremony inaugurating the Mohammed VI Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Rabat for her contributions to Moroccan arts and culture.[14]

Branson also owns and runs Eilean Shona, an island on the west coast of Scotland at the entrance to Loch Moidart.[15] In collaboration with the Royal Society of Sculptors, a members-only residency has been created — a month-long opportunity for the winning member to live on the island and reflect upon and respond to the natural environment.[6][16]

Branson's memoir, One Hundred Summers, was published in May 2020.[4][17]

References

  1. ^ "Companies House". Companies House. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  2. ^ "Eve's Story". The Eve Branson Foundation. Archived from the original on 16 October 2016. Retrieved 26 August 2022.
  3. ^ "Edward Branson". The Daily Telegraph. London. 8 May 2011. Archived from the original on 8 April 2018. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  4. ^ a b Law, Katie (14 May 2020). "Vanessa Branson on family, her new memoir and why her brother Richard is no 'wizened tycoon'". Evening Standard. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  5. ^ a b Phillips, Caroline (3 October 2005). "Vanessa Branson: Aiming to outshine her famous brother". Independent. Retrieved 26 August 2022.
  6. ^ a b c Dodds, Rosanna (10 December 2021). "Unlocking the magic of Eilean Shona". Financial Times. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  7. ^ Frankel, Claire (1 November 1987). "The Artful Lodgers on London's Portobello Road". The Washington Post. Retrieved 26 August 2022.
  8. ^ "Devereux, Robert Harold Ferrers, (Born 11 April 1955), Chairman, New Forests Company Holding LTD, since 2007; Founder and Director, African Arts Trust, since 2012". Who's Who. 2008. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U247465.
  9. ^ Gleadell, Colin (14 February 2000). "It's wonderful being a patron". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 November 2012. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
  10. ^ "El Fenn:Our history". El Fenn. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  11. ^ a b Milner, Catherine (25 February 2014). "Vanessa Branson: Marrakech Biennale interview". Financial Times. Retrieved 26 August 2022.
  12. ^ "Marrakech Biennale: History". Marrakech Biennale. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
  13. ^ "Vanessa Branson". Bloomsbury. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  14. ^ Sebastian, Shevlin (16 February 2015). "The Joy of Art". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  15. ^ Bragg, Alice (14 November 2016). "Britain's most romantic island hideaway". Condé Nast Traveller. Retrieved 26 August 2022.
  16. ^ "Eilean Shona Residency | Royal Society of Sculptors". sculptors.org.uk. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  17. ^ Cole, Olivia (23 May 2020). "Vanessa Branson's memoir is a perfect 1980s time capsule". GQ Magazine. Retrieved 26 May 2020.

Further reading

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