Hound & Horse aims to highlight the importance of sporting art as a genre and looks at the changing nature of our relationship with both these animals over the ages. By looking through the eyes of some of the best equine and canine artists over time, we recognise the enduring love and fascination our nation has for these animals.
Originating as a way to present wealth and status, portraits of racehorses, hunters and packs of hounds first became fashionable in the early eighteenth century. Although the way we employ these animals has changed over time, this tradition of commissioning hound and horse portraits, for the commemoration of success, still endures.
All the artists involved in this exhibition have a desire to study the movement, form and character of these animals and to translate this into their art. Hounds and horses have long been some of our most loyal companions, and the artworks provide a historical document of this appreciation and special relationship.
The exhibition will display over 40 artworks, including oils, watercolours, sculpture and works on paper, all created by some of the most respected artists of their time. Works by the great masters of sporting art such as Sir Alfred Munnings, John Wootton, Lionel Edwards, John Herring Snr and Edward Seago, will sit alongside works by a selection of contemporary artists including Tania Still, Frippy Jameson and Jo Taylor amongst others.