A Horse of Course: The Equine Image in Art with VMFA’s Jeffrey Allison

Of the thousands of examples of rock art found at Lascaux, Niaux, Vallon-Pont-d’arc, and other sites across France and Spain, nearly a third of the figures represent horses. In this virtual talk, Jeffrey Allison discusses the horse in art history, tracing the ways in which artists have used the horse as subject matter over the millennia from prehistoric caves to contemporary works by artists such as Picasso and Deborah Butterfield. This talk is held in conjunction with A Horse of Course: The Equine Image in Art exhibition located in the Library's Forrest E. Mars Sr. Exhibit Hall on view October 7, 2020 - March 29, 2021. 

Free for NSLM Members | $5 for non-members 

To get the link for this virtual Zoom program, register here. 

Please contact info@nationalsporting.org for any questions. 

Speaker Bio: 

Jeffrey W. Allison is the Paul Mellon Collection Educator and Manager, Statewide Programs and Exhibitions at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and a professional photographer. He holds a BA in photography from Virginia Intermont College and an MFA in photography and film from VCU. He has curated numerous exhibitions including 40 Years: 40 Faces, Through Different Eyes: The Faces of Poverty in Virginia, Unbroken Circle: Unto the Generations, Egypt Through the Drawing Room: 19th Century Stereographs of Egypt, and, Faces at the Races: Equine Culture in Virginia; as well as the Paul Mellon Arts in Education exhibitions, They Call it Stormy Weather: How Artists View the Weather and the Seasons, and A Horse of Course! Equine Images in Art at VMFA, which are traveling to locations throughout the Commonwealth. He currently teaches Advanced Photography and the History of Photography at the VMFA and has taught for over thirty years at institutions including Virginia Intermont College, Virginia Commonwealth University, East Tennessee State University, the Visual Arts Center of Richmond, and Virginia Highlands Community College.  

Jeffrey was consultant on the Discovery Channel series Ancient Origins of Native Americans and the New York Times Magazine article, "Horace Bristol and the Grapes of Wrath"  Awards include the 2010 John Kent Shumate Advocate of the Year and Richmond Times Dispatch Person of the Year for 2019. Jeffrey’s own photographic works are in numerous collections including Capital One. Recent lectures include, "The World of George Catlin" at the Columbus Museum of Art, Columbus Georgia and "An American Silence: Walker Evans and Edward Hopper" at the Wintergreen Summer Music Festival, Wintergreen, Virginia, "Faithfulness to Nature: Paintings by Edward Troye" at the National Sporting Library and Museum, Middleburg, Virginia, and "A Lifetime of Collecting: Works from the Paul Mellon Collection" at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts at the Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg, Florida. Jeffrey has acted as technical consultant for numerous museums, art centers, and festivals, including The Chrysler Museum, Hollins University, and William King Museum of Art. Most recently, Jeffrey curated the exhibition, How Far Can Creativity Take You: VMFA Fellowship Artists, the inaugural VMFA on the Road artmobile exhibition. Jeffrey also oversaw the creation of this 21st Century airmobile program.

Jeffrey has exhibited his own photographs for over 30 years, including the recent exhibition Landmarks, at the 1708 Satellite Gallery at Linden Row, Richmond, celebrating the 40th anniversary of 1708 Gallery, and Ship of Fellows: VMFA Fellowship Artists at Rawls Museum Arts in Courtland. His work is represented in a number of private and corporate collections including Capital One.

He currently serves on the boards of the Virginia Poverty Law Center and the Virginia Children’s Book Festival, as well as the Virginia Association of Museums Governing Council, and the Torpedo Factory Advisory Board. In addition, Jeffrey is an advisor to Pocahontas Reframed: The Virginia Native American Film Festival and acted as moderator at the 2018 festival directors and actors panel