The Munnings Art Museum opens on Wednesday 2nd April 2025 until Sunday 26th October. Wednesday to Sunday, 1.30pm to 4.30pm.
Tea Room in the garden open from 2nd April, Wednesday to Sunday 10am to 4.30pm.
enquiries@munningsmuseum.org.uk 01206 322127
Address: Munnings Art Museum
Castle House, Castle Hill
Dedham, Colchester, Essex
CO7 6AZ
Special Exhibition
2nd April to 8th June 2025
Technicolour Dickens:
The Living Image of Charles Dickens
The Munnings Art Museum is delighted to be bringing a special exhibition of stunning and unique colourised photographs from the Charles Dickens Museum in London which unpick the power of the writer’s image. The colourised portraits were commissioned by the Charles Dickens Museum in 2020 from artist and photographer Oliver Clyde to bring Dickens to new, ‘technicolour’ life. Large scale, and in vivid colour, you will see Dickens like you have never seen him before.
“Were I forced to make a choice between books and pictures in my home, without hesitation I would say ‘Give me books.’ This is no sudden decision, but a well-considered one. I could, if I had to, live without pictures but without a book I might exist – but not live in the full sense of the word.” Sir Alfred Munnings
The special exhibition is prefaced with a display of paintings and drawings by Sir Alfred Munnings which illustrate his love of stories, both in prose and poetry. Dickens, Tennyson, Longfellow, Surtees and others exerted an influence over the art he produced, especially as a young man.
Paintings by
Sir Alfred Munnings
The walls of Castle House are sumptuously adorned with both well-known pictures by Sir Alfred Munnings and lesser seen sketches and studies taken from the artist’s studio when he died in 1959. Thickly painted impressionistic scenes of ponies standing still against the bright East Anglian sunshine jostle for position with smoothly painted racing thoroughbreds, jockeys a-blaze in brightly coloured silks. Delicate pencil portraits of Indian soldiers returning, wearily, from the Western Front pull at the soul in stark contrast to the amusing cartoons which give rise to a small chuckle.
Sir Alfred Munnings’ former studio stands in the grounds of Castle House with ponies looking on from the paddocks nearby. The studio still contains his props and painting tools.
Events
Tickets available now for our programme of events. There are familiar painting days alongside tours, talks and creative workshops relating to the special exhibition.
Whilst you wait…
Ahead of our re-opening on 2nd April brush up your artistic skills with Jim Power.
This four-part series of pre-recorded workshops will take you through the basic steps needed to successfully draw and paint horses.
Session 1: Basics of Drawing the Horse
Session 2: Adding colour and form to the Horse
Session 3: Looking more closely at the horse’s head.
Session 4: Painting the horse’s head in oils.
Not brave enough to pick up a paintbrush? Listen and watch to find out more about the man and his work
Curator’s Talk: The Life and Work of Sir Alfred Munnings
Pre-recorded ONLINE event.
Marcia Whiting, Curatorial Associate, provides an overview of Alfred Munnings’ life and work.
You will be sent a link to play the film via Vimeo (installation not required). Recording lasts 41 minutes.
Art History Festival 2024
The sport of Kings inspired the painter Sir Alfred Munnings to create some of his most well known paintings. See how these pictures were created and how they have travelled the globe, inspiring the artists of today. For the Art History Festival 2024 Art History: Local to Global, we present this short film in partnership with Art Historian, Christopher Garibaldi and the National Sporting Library and Museum, Virginia, USA.
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