Russell-Cotes

1 April – 1 October 2023

Lucy Kemp-Welch is one of Britain’s foremost equestrian painters in the tradition of British impressionism. She was an expert horsewoman with an innate understanding and love of her equine subjects, especially working horses. From the late 1890s to the mid-1920s she was one of the country’s best-known female artists.

The Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum has partnered with the National Horse Racing Museum to organise a major exhibition of works by Kemp-Welch (1869-1958), which will be hosted at both venues. Curated by art historian and curator, David Boyd Haycock, the exhibition will focus on key works and moments in Kemp-Welch’s illustrious career, as well as the influence of Hubert von Herkomer’s teaching.

This exhibition is the first significant retrospective highlighting her work, in particular as a painter of horses, since her death. This exhibition was made possible with a grant from the Weston Loan Programme with Art Fund, and will feature works from national and regional museums, including the Imperial War Museum, Bushey Museum and Southampton City Art Gallery. The exhibition will coincide with the launch of David Boyd Haycock’s new biography of the artist, due to be published in 2023.

This exhibition has been made possible as a result of the Government Indemnity Scheme. The Russell-Cotes Art Gallery and Museum would like to thank HM Government for providing Government Indemnity and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and Arts Council England for arranging the indemnity.