7 artists passionate about horse racing art

Meet the seven artists of our gallery sharing their passion for equestrian art and horse racing.

Bianca Smith

I have always loved painting horses, as I grew up just down the road from the Victoria Race Course in Adelaide South Australia, where most Saturdays I’d walk down to watch the horses almost fly out of the starting gates, little did I know years later I’d use all those happy memories to paint them in my cubist Abstract style - as horses are so aesthetically pleasing to paint and their beautiful bodies break down into strong angular sections that are joyful to paint.

 Bianca Smith "After the race was won"

Luci Maclaren

I have always loved the races. When I first started going to live races I was completely taken with standing as close as I could get to the horses as they thundered by. Such energy, power and grace.

I first started painting them about 10 years ago and was delighted that my style seemed to fit and capture a beautiful racing horse. The way that I paint captures movement and colour that is so compatible with this amazing sport.

Luci Maclaren "Full pelt"

Salvador Fernandez Oliva

The dynamic texture of bronze makes it a material that allows opposing characteristics to be expressed, in a similar way to what happens in a horse race.

And as a counterpoint, the extreme softness and delicacy of this material recalls the mildness and gentleness of jockeys who must correctly guide animals that are extremely sensitive to any demands from their riders.

Salvador Fernandez Oliva "The curve"

Hartmut Hellner

A friend’s father was General Secretary of the German Directorate for Thoroughbred Breeding and Racing. Because of this I was able to experience the exciting atmosphere of the racetracks in Cologne Weidenpesch and Hamburg Horn from a very early age.

The dynamics, power, expressiveness and explosivity of the wonderful thoroughbred horses captivated me even back then. This is the subject of my painting. I want to bring the drama of the races and the depth of character of these fascinating animals to life in all their authenticity on canvas.

And so today I am particularly honored by the opinion of my friend's father, who says: "Since Klaus Philipp no other horse painter has impressed me so much.

Anne Hansson

Lucky me! Close to our home built Bro Park- a new really NICE and by swedish standards a big racing track. Since I already was hooked on sketching/painting horse polo this was also very inspiring - horses, speed and colors all at once!

Askild Winkelmann

My love of horses and equestrian sports began to grow when I started to attend Horse Racing events at Goodwood. As an artist, I believe that depictions of a horse and its jockey should reflect their passion and energy, as well as their rationality and focus.

The more time I spent at the Horse Races and yards the more I observed the power of the horses and the trust that is built between horse and rider. Seeing this, I wanted to highlight the exchange and relationship between these two entities. Although the jockey is of great importance, my work focuses mainly on the strength and elegance of the horses’ movements. 

The abstraction in my pieces highlights the movement of the horse and jockey, while the realism displayed in the horses’ faces show their raw emotion and soul.

Askild Winkelmann "The Chase for Victory II"

Tianyin Wang

Racing is always a fun challenge, as my works are about movement and energy, subject wise, it is perfect. So if the result is not good, that's totally on me, no excuse, that's why I call it is a fun challenge.