1.

Beginnings

Munnings was born in Mendham, Suffolk, in 1878. His father was a mill owner, so Munnings grew up in a bustling household beside the river. Working horses came and went daily, laying the foundations for his lifelong equestrian obsession. 

Munnings was apprenticed to a Norwich printer as a teenager, after leaving college. He studied at the Norwich School of Art at the same time, building a dual skillset: that of a commercial printer and of a fine artist. 

Paris and Impressionism

In 1899, Munnings had an accident that caused him to become permanently blind in his right eye. He was undeterred from his burgeoning career as an artist and continued to paint. He travelled to Paris around this time, where he first encountered the works of Claude Monet. The loose, textural brushwork of the Impressionists had a strong influence on his own artistic style. 

Commercial Artworks

Munnings was a successful commercial artist as a young man, designing and creating artwork for posters and advertisements, including for Norwich-based company Caley’s Crackers. He also exhibited paintings with the Norwich Art Circle, many of which depicted literary or historic heroines. He was especially interested in the Georgian era. The details of the clothing he painted fascinated him, leading him to be compared to the society painter John Singer Sargent. 

3.

Rising Star

After returning from the front, Munnings pivoted into society portraits. His equestrian portraits were in high demand among members of the British upper classes. Munnings moved back into his country seat, Castle House on the Suffolk//Essex border, where he and his wife Violet kept their own horses. He regularly painted scenes of the horse races at Newmarket, near his home.  

Munnings and Portraits

Munnings was commissioned to paint the portraits of members of the British elite, including King George V who was depicted astride his favourite pony, Jock, in Sandringham Great Park in 1935. He also painted the great American patron of British art, Paul Mellon, on his horse Dublin. Other patrons included members of the Astor and Rothschild families and the Dukes of Marlborough and Westminster. His 1954 painting of Queen Elizabeth II in the paddock at Epsom sold for over £2 million in 2016.  

He was also a keen painter of hunt scenes, such as his portrait of the 6th Earl of Winterton in his pinks. Munnings was especially fond of painting women on horseback—his most frequent subject was Violet. His stunning self-portrait My Wife, My Horse and Myself, combines his three great loves: Violet, his horses, and his art. 

5.

On The Market

Munnings’ works retain a healthy market in Britain. His paintings are well-represented in public collection across the country including the Manchester Art Gallery, the Bristol Museum and, notably, at the Munnings Museum in Dedham (his former residence) which houses 650 oil paintings and 50 watercolours, making it the largest collection in the world. 

Bonhams has achieved notable sales of works by Munnings, with public interest continuing to increase. A particularly memorable sale was the exceptionally striking 1930s work The Start, Newmarket, which sold for over £500,000, a Bonhams record for the artist.

Looking to buy a painting by Sir Alfred Munnings? Our 19th Century and Orientalist Paintings team can help you find the right work at auction or via a private sale. Contact us

The Old Gravel Pit Swainsthorpe 

The upcoming 19th Century and British Impressionist Art auction, taking place on 27 September, features a very special Munnings painting. The Old Gavel Pit, Swainsthorpe from 1907 is an early work by the artist. The influence of the Impressionists is clear in the tactile, immersive brushstrokes, as is the artist’s deep passion for his subject. Made before he achieved national recognition, the painting represents the artist’s pure intent without the influence of patrons, fashion, or prestige.