Sir Alfred James Munnings
(1878-1959)
 |
| Unsaddling at Epsom Summer Meeting |
Alfred Munnings is regarded as one of the greatest sporting artists of all time. Munnings superb collection of equestrian portraits and horse racing scenes has inspired many of today’s equestrian artists.
 |
| The Steeplechase Start |
Alfred Munnings was born in Mill House, Mendham in October 1878, the son of a miller and farmer’s daughter he showed talent for drawing at an early age which was developed when he became indentured to a firm of lithographers in 1893 when aged fourteen to begin a 6 year apprenticeship in commercial art at Page Brothers and Co in Norwich.
 |
| Going out at Kempton |
His first two paintings were accepted in 1899 for the Royal Academy’s summer show. In 1912 Munnings married Florence Carter Wood, who sadly committed suicide just two years later in 1914.
 |
| The Start at Newmarket |
In 1918 Alfred Munnings served as a war artist attached to the Canadian Cavalry brigade. After the war in 1919 Alfred Munnings was elected an associate of the Royal Academy and moved to a new studio in Glebe Place, Chelsea and bought Castle House at Dedham.
 |
| Study of Jockeys at the Start |
In 1920 he remarried to Violet McBride and in 1926 was elected to full membership of the Royal Academy. In 1944 he was elected President of the Royal Academy and in the same year King George VI conferred a Knighthood upon him.
 |
| Solario |
In 1947 Sir Alfred Munnings was created Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order and given honorary freedom of the city of Norwich for his service to culture. In 1949 he sponsored the election of his friend Winston Churchill and later that year resigned as president of the Royal Academy.
 |
| Chestnuts Saddlng Up |
A major exhibition of 309 works of art was exhibited at the Royal Academy’s Diploma Gallery in 1956, sadly in 1959 Sir Alfred Munnings died at home at Castle House aged eighty.
Do you remember the Post Office 9p stamp issued in 1979 to commemorate the 200th running of the Derby? Saddling Mahmoud The Derby Winner 1936 by Munnings?
ReplyDeleteThe painting was sold in 2000 with an estimate of GBP 2-3 million.
"The painting was commissioned and given by the Aga Kahn to his trainer Frank
Butters, who was also an old friend and classmate of the artist. Munnings has depicted the saddling paddock at
Epsom with the jockey Charlie Smirke talking to trainer Frank Butters, elegantly shown in top hat and tails. On the left
is the pre-race favorite Taj Akbar, also owned by the Aga Kahn, with the famous jockey Gordon Richards, who
finished second. One of Munnings’ personal favorites, this painting was exhibited in the artist’s 1956 retrospective at
the Royal Academy. (from the catalogue highlights)
No Felix I didn’t remember that at all but now you’ve said I looked and seen it on the web, Mahmoud the grey horse, I knew that straight away because just a few weeks ago I saw a cigarette card of him on I think Ebay, it was with Charlie Smirke up.
ReplyDeleteI was quite astonished to read that an artist as illustrious as Munnings only had the use of one eye! Apparently at about the age of 21 yrs he lost his sight in one eye following an accident, when war broke out he was intent on enlisting and eventually ended up as an official war artist.