George Stubbs (1724 – 1806): ‘The English Leonardo’

George Stubbs (1724 – 1806): ‘The English Leonardo’

The National Horseracing Museum is delighted to welcome its former Director and esteemed historian, Christopher Garibaldi, to give a lecture on George Stubbs to commemorate his 300th year anniversary. Palace House which forms part of the museum is home to one of the largest collections of Stubbs paintings in the country.

Many art historians and critics have compared the work of George Stubbs to that of Leonardo da Vinci, one even christening him the ‘Leonardo of Liverpool’ to reflect his humble origins as the son of a Liverpool leatherworker. The comparison can seem hubristic until one considers the scientific method and investigation that lay behind the production by Stubbs of his world-famous Anatomy of the Horse published in 1766 – a work which revolutionised the understanding and depiction of equine subjects.

This lecture looks at the life and work of this country’s greatest animal painter, focussing on his depiction of equestrian subjects such as the National Gallery’s famous Whistlejacket but also looking at many of the broader themes he addressed in his work.

Tickets are £15 which includes a glass of wine.

Christopher Garibaldi was Director of Palace House, Newmarket (the National Horseracing Museum) from 2010 to 2019. He now works an independent lecturer and is currently completing his PhD in the History of Art and Architecture at St John’s College, Cambridge where he is studying aspects of royal architectural patronage with a particular focus on the Jacobean and Restoration palaces at Newmarket.

He has previously worked for the Attingham Trust (for the Study of Historic Houses and Collections) and from 1998 to 2003 he was Senior Curator & Assistant Keeper of Art (Decorative Art) at Norwich Castle Museum where he co-curated a major touring exhibition programme which included Flower Power – The Meaning of Flowers in Art and Eat, Drink and Be Merry, the British at Table 1600 to 2000. From 1994 to 1997 he worked for the Royal Collection, cataloguing the silver at Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and other royal residences.