Grant was born in Scotland but spent his childhood in India. He trained at the Westminster School of Art (1902-05), and with Jacques-Emile Blanche in Paris (1906-07), and was at the Slade School of Fine Art for a term in 1908. He was a leading figure in the Bloomsbury Group, and was closely associated, personally and professionally, with Vanessa Bell for over fifty years. He and Bell were co-directors of the Omega Workshops (1913-1919).

Grant exhibited widely: with the Camden Town Group, the Grafton Group, the New English Arts Club, the London Group; his paintings were also included in the second Post-Impressionist Exhibition in 1912. He was also a prolific designer of textiles, pottery, and carpets, as well as sets and costumes for theatrical productions. An Arts Council retrospective of his work was held at the Tate Gallery and other venues in 1959, and in 1975 a major exhibition of his work was held at the Tate Gallery in London and the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art in Edinburgh to celebrate his ninetieth birthday.

• Rugs by this designer