Alfred Munnings

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Blue plaque , Chelsea Park Gardens, Chelsea

Sir Alfred James Munnings , KCVO , PRA (born October 8, 1878 in Suffolk , † July 17, 1959 in Dedham , Essex ) was an English painter who is particularly famous for his portrayals of horses . During his lifetime he was the most expensive contemporary artist to have ever lived in Great Britain.

Life

Alfred Munnings was born on October 8, 1878 in Mendham , Suffolk . He began training as a printer at the age of fourteen , designing and drawing advertising posters for the next six years. In his spare time he attended the Norwich School of Art . When his apprenticeship was finished, he concentrated only on painting . In 1898 he got in an accident , the sight of his right eye, but this did not stop his determination to paint. A year later, two of his paintings were featured in the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition . He was associated with the Newlyn School of painters , where he met Florence Carter-Wood (1888–1914), a young horsewoman and painter . They married on January 19, 1912 Florence Carter-Wood already dabbled in the honeymoon that take life in 1914 she managed this as well. In 1919 Munnings bought Castle House in Dedham and described it as the house of his dreams. There he set up an adjoining studio and where he painted until his death . 1920 married the rider Munnings Violet McBride , she encouraged him commissions to accept . He achieved great fame above all for his horse portraits , horses when hunting or during the race . He died on July 17, 1959 at the age of 80 at Castle House , Dedham. After his death, his wife turned the house into a museum of his work ( Munnings Art Museum ).

Charge of Flowerdew's Squadron , 1949 ( Canadian War Museum )

Artist at war

Although he volunteered to join the army , he was judged unfit . Therefore in 1917 his participation in the war was limited to civilian work outside of Reading . There tens of thousands of Canadian horses passed him on the way to France, many of them were already dying . He was later assigned to a horse depot on the Western Front. There he was employed as an artist for the Canadian Cavalry Brigade, under the patronage of Max Aitken . During the war he painted many scenes, including a portrait of General Jack Seely Warrior in 1918 (now in the collection of the National Gallery of Canada , Ottawa ). Munnings was working on this painting a few thousand meters from the German front lines. When General Seely was forced to retreat prematurely, the artist experienced what it was like to come under gunfire.

In 1918 he also painted Charge of Flowerdew's Squadron, also known as the last major cavalry attack at the Battle of Moreuil Wood. Gordon Flowerdew was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for leading the Royal Canadians in a successful engagement with the German troops .

The Canadian forestry invited Munnings, their work camps in the forest of Dreux ( France visit). There he made numerous drawings , watercolors and paintings . There he also sketched many horses passing by, which he used for his later works. The role of horses in war was critical, horse feed was the only large commodity that was transported to the front.

The Canadian War Records Exhibition, at the Royal Academy , included forty-five works by Munnings.

Felling a Tree in the Vosges , 1918 ( Canadian War Museum )

Later career

Munnings was elected President of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in 1944. In the same year he was awarded a Knight Bachelor and was appointed Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order .

He wrote three books from 1950 to 1952. An Artist's Live (1950), The Second Burst (1951) and The Finish (1952).

Art market

During his lifetime he was represented by Frost & Reed, London . In his lifetime he was the most expensive British painter. His works (especially those with horses) are very popular on the art market and tenaciously among the highlights of auction houses . Christie's sold one work in 1999 for $ 4.29 million. Sotheby's auctioned The Red Prince Mare for $ 7.84 million in 2004 . This is the maximum price of a work by Munnings.

Controversy

In his farewell speech (from the Royal Presidency of the Academy, 1949) he attacked modern art . He claimed (presumably drunk ) that the work of Cézanne , Matisse and Picasso had spoiled art . The broadcast was heard by millions of listeners on BBC radio .

Movie

In 2013, Summer was released in February, based on a novel by Jonathan Smith . The film tells Alfred Munnings' life story. Munnings is the actor Dominic Cooper embodies

literature

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Munnings, Alfred
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Munnings, Sir Alfred James (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION important English painter
DATE OF BIRTH October 8, 1878
PLACE OF BIRTH Suffolk
DATE OF DEATH 17th July 1959
Place of death Dedham , Essex