A naturally gifted painter, the young Alfred Munnings joined the circle of artists in Newlyn, Cornwall, shortly before the First World War. The Newlyn community emulated the Barbizon painters in France by working outdoors and pursuing a more realist approach to painting, taking the stark realities of coastal life for their subjects. Munnings, a horse lover, particularly associated himself with the Romani people who eked out a living breeding and trading horses. After the war, Munnings began taking commissions for equestrian portraits in the tradition of George Stubbs, but his favorite work remained subject pictures exploring rural life. This example focuses on the Romani who traveled to the Epsom Downs in Surrey in the first week of June to seek work during Derby Week and to watch the Derby itself, the world’s greatest flat race. Gallery label for installation of YCBA collection, 2016
