Sir Alfred James Munnings

Artist Biography

Sir Alfred J. Munnings (1878-1959) was born in Mendham, Suffolk, eastern England. He was apprenticed to a lithography company in Norwich, Norfolk, attending art school in the evenings. There he learned how to use oil-paints and dreamed of a career painting his favourite animals: horses. But to begin with he was better known for his landscapes and scenes of rural life. He first exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1898, when he was just twenty. He lost the sight in one eye in an accident the following year but did not allow this to affect his art, prints and posters.

In 1904, Sir Alfred J. Munnings moved to Swainsthorpe, Norfolk, painting the surrounding countryside. In 1918, he was sent to France as an official war artist with the Canadian Cavalry Brigade. On returning to England in 1919, he bought "the house of his dreams," Castle House at Dedham, Suffolk, and the following year he married Violet McBride, a renowned horsewoman. By now, Munnings was finally achieving his ambition of being a horse painter. His art, prints and posters grew in popularity, and for the next twenty years, he traveled around Europe, painting equestrian portraits for royalty and wealthy patrons.

In 1944, Sir Alfred J. Munnings was elected President of the Royal Academy, and knighted by King George VI. Then, in 1947, he was appointed Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order, an incredible achievement for a provincial artist with so little formal training. However, he loathed being in charge of the Academy, feeling restrained by the administration and the demands on his time, and so he resigned the position in 1949. Today, he is best known for his art, prints and posters of celebrated racehorses, which are among the greatest animal portraits of all time.

Sir Alfred James Munnings Art, Prints and Posters Collection