Sir Alfred Munnings Sport Art

Alfred Munnings is regarded as one of the greatest sporting artists of all time. Alfred Munnings superb collection of equestrian portraits and horse racing scenes have inspired many of todays equestrian artists. Alfred Munnings was born in Mill House, Medham in October 1878 and in 1893 Alfred Munnings began a 6 year apprenticeship in commercial art at Page Brothers and Co in Norwich, a large lithographic printing company. His first two paintings were accepted in 1899 for the Royal Academys summer show. In 1912 Alfred married Florence Carter Wood, who sadly committed suicide two years later in 1914. 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. 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. 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. A major exhibition of of 309 works of art was exhibited at the Royal Academys Diploma Gallery in 1956, sadly in 1959 Sir Alfred Munnigs died at home at Castle House aged eighty. Many of his fine paintings are available here as fine art prints including Under Starters Orders, Summer Evening Cliveden, The Red Prince Mare and The Huntsman.