Horses in Art

Galloping through three centuries of art, this beautiful gift book explores the changing and fascinating relationship between art and horses.

Horses have appeared in works of art throughout history and across the globe, frequently as depictions of the horse in battle, as a form of transportation or within the settings of racing, hunting or breeding. Culturally, the horse is significant across the world.

This book seeks to explore the long and rich trajectory of art focusing on horses and equestrian art from their historic use in battle or as tools in agricultural labour up to their representation as an allegory for wildness and power in modern art to the current fascination with horse racing and breeding.

Offering in-depth explorations of over fifty artworks from the last 260 years mostly in western art, it explores the changing and fascinating relationship we have had with horses, from the classical paintings of George Stubbs to the subversive feminist performances of Rose English.

Chiedza Mhondoro is Assistant Curator, British Art at Tate Britain, specialising in the British art of the eighteenth century and its social, cultural, political, economic and international contexts.