Astrid Harrisson is a photographer best known for her sensitive portrayals of animals, in particular, horses. Astrid is captivated by the form of the horse, by its spirit and the cultures within which horses subsist. Her images are considered a departure from traditional animal portrait photography – she employs a combination of curiosity with a bold photographic approach to create sensitive portrayals of animals that engage the viewer.

Astrid is most widely known for her book “The Majesty of the Horse”, a collaboration between renowned British author Tamsin Pickeral which documents over 70 of the world’s rarest and most important breeds of horse. Astrid has been described as having “a very rare combination of an extraordinary sense of wildness and a quick eye for framing beauty.” Her work is united by profound admiration of the animal kingdom.

Amongst her subjects are cats, dogs, falcon, camel and tiger but it is the world of the horse that is her life-long study. “I am fascinated by man’s relationship with horse in particular, with an animal so loyal and trusting, yet an animal that in some cultures has been seemingly swept aside with the advent of machinery. Like books to the digital world, horses can never be replaced by modern machinery. They are soulful creatures, spirits of the wild that in history intertwine with man and his needs and life whether in sport, farming or as part of other cultures. It is my goal to celebrate this species by bringing to the forefront their relevance and beauty. As Rudyard Kipling once said “four things greater than all things are women and horses and power and war”. They are deserved of being studied for their athleticism, their form, their courage and their strength. Such a symbolic species, they draw together cultures from across the globe in an unspoken language, connecting us on unspoken realms in unknown dimensions”.

Astrid works on private commission in the UK, USA and Middle East and sells limited edition fine art prints of her work to global collectors.

2009 – 2021
Art For Youth, Mall Galleries, London
Majlis Gallery, Dubai, UAE
Chisholm Galleries, USA
CCA International, Jersey
ArtWave, Aspen, USA
The Silver Fund, Worth Avenue, Palm Beach, USA
Spirited Breeds, Solo exhibition, Majlis Gallery, Dubai, UAE
Gallery 1949, Aspen, USA
Art Palm Beach, Florida, USA
Royal Ascot Official Arts Photographer
The Wykeham Gallery, Stockbridge, England
The Country Life Fair, Fulham Palace, London, England
Paris Eiffel Jumping, equine art exhibition, Champ de Mars, Paris, France
Ham Polo Club, London, England
Horse Utopia: The Art of the Horse, The Porcellino Gallery, Florence, Italy
Solo installation, Fairmont Hotel, Palm Jumeirah, Dubai, UAE
Artist in Residence, Anandpur Sahib Foundation, Punjab, India
Marwari – Gallery One, Udaipur, Rajasthan, India
Mehrangah Fort & Umaid Bhawan Palace, Jodhpur
Black Bears Polo Club, Oxfordshire, England
Ghantoot Polo Club & Dubai Equestrian & Polo Club, UAE
Royal College of Art, London, England
Chelsea Arts Club, London, England
Animals in Art, Auction Eve, Paris, France
Summer Show, The Dollar Street Gallery, Cirencester, England
The Hotel Show, World Trade Centre, Dubai, UAE
The Horse Show, The Dollar Street Gallery, Cirencester, England
Dark Horse, Solo installation with Cheltenham Revelry, Bottaccios, London
Discerning Eye, The Mall Galleries, London, England
Last Rolo, Acquire Arts, Battersea, London, England
Equelia, permanent display at Equelia Head office, Mahon, Menorca, Spain
Horsham Museum, Horsham, England
Equid:I, Solo show at SaLon Gallery, Westbourne Grove, London, England