• We have extended our current special exhibition and displays into 2021.
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The Munnings Art Museum is at Castle House, the former home of the artist Sir Alfred Munnings (1878-1959) and his wife, Violet. Described by Munnings as ‘the house of my dreams’, he lived and worked in this elegant Tudor and Georgian building for over forty years until his death in 1959. The House, garden, artist’s studio are set in forty acres of beautiful countryside in the Dedham Vale on the borders of Suffolk and Essex. The museum owns the largest collection of art works by this prolific East Anglian painter and former President of the Royal Academy (1944-1949).

When Alfred Munnings married his second wife Violet in April 1920 his reputation as a notable equestrian portraitist was flourishing. As a result of this he was frequently away from home for extended periods and he wrote home to his new wife of these experiences. In 2020 the museum’s displays will be interwoven with original correspondence, preparatory sketches and finished works that relate to this time.

To accompany the exhibition the museum has published a unique volume of the fifty of these hitherto unpublished and generally unseen personal letters written between 1920 and 1922. The letters reveal much about Munnings himself, his personality, his opinions, interests and beliefs and his working practices; they also provide an insight into the times in which he lived and in particular the aristocratic world of his patrons.

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Alfred Munnings is considered to be a major figure in the great tradition of British horse painting and is celebrated for his depiction of English rural life and landscapes. The museum’s carefully curated displays ensure that there is always a fully representative selection of his art on display, ranging from his childhood drawings to last works. Visitors to the museum have the opportunity to experience Munnings’ passion for the rural traditions and landscapes of East Anglia and Cornwall which he captured on canvas and develop an understanding of the talent and skill he used to convey the explosive energy of the racing scenes for which he is now globally renowned.

In the main rooms of the museum a seasonally changing selection of 150 pictures, from the museum’s large collection supplemented by carefully chosen loan pictures, are hung chronologically so that visitors can better understand the life and work of the artist. The furniture, objects and personal items belonging to Sir Alfred and Lady Munnings remain in situ and the museum welcomes visitors to sit and enjoy the ambience of their home.

In the garden, visitors will find Munnings’ studio which houses his painting materials and props.

This season the studio is hosting “Constable’s Country” a display featuring 30 studies and finished paintings by Alfred Munnings of the Dedham Vale, Stour Valley and beyond to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

In 1918 Alfred Munnings was appointed as a war artist in France for the Canadian Cavalry Brigade and later for the Canadian Forestry Corps. At the war’s end his paintings from France were bought by the Canadian government and are now in the collection of the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa.

In the centenary year of their first exhibition at the Royal Academy, London in 1919, the Munnings Art Museum is privileged to have on loan from Canada forty-one of these war paintings. The vibrant colours and painterly style of these works is a striking contrast to the familiar black and white images of World War I. It is a rare opportunity to see these works, alongside sketches and paintings from The Munnings Art Museum’s own collection.

Munnings’ war works were much admired at the time and proved to be pivotal in the development of his career, helping to transform him from a successful provincial artist to one of international renown.

In his later life Sir Alfred Munnings reflected “I have often wondered had there been no 1914-18 war whether painting people on horseback would have absorbed the greater part of my efforts in the years that followed”.

The exhibition has been developed by the Canadian War Museum, Ottawa, in partnership with The Munnings Art Museum and generously supported by The Beaverbrook Canadian Foundation.

In the garden, visitors will find Munnings’ studio which houses his painting materials and props. This season the studio is hosting “Painting Winners” a display featuring 30 studies and finished paintings from the racecourses at Epsom and Newmarket by Sir Alfred Munnings.

Adjoining the studio is the Café serving delicious homemade treats. The museum shop has a range of books, unique gifts and souvenirs.

A selection of contemporary paintings by some of the UK and Ireland’s leading equestrian and plein air painters. Inspired by the First World War paintings of Sir Alfred Munnings and available to buy.

Read more about the artists and their work >>