Return from the Race Course (Primary Title)
Alfred De Dreux, French, 1810 - 1860 (Artist)
Pierre Alfred Dedreux’s passion for horse and equestrian subjects may have been kindled by the work of Theodore Géricault. However, instead of building upon Géricault’s example, the anglophile Dedreux chose to model his painting after British sporting artists such as Henry Thomas Alken, whose work routinely related anecdotal narratives. Return from the Race Course can be interpreted as a commentary on the world of French racing in the first half of the 19th century. The small number of racecourses in France and their close proximity to stables saved horses from traveling great distances to race. Horses were commonly walked to and from a course, usually by a groom or a trainer. However, in this work, the figure that accompanies the horse wrapped in blankets appears to be the horse’s disillusioned owner. The man’s determined march and elusive regard combined with the blustery weather and the dejected-looking dog suggest a day filled with disappointments.
Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon
2019-2020: "Van Gogh Monet Degas, The Mellon Collection of French Art from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts", Palazzo Zabarella, Padua, Italy, October 26, 2019 - March 1, 2020
2019-2021: Van Gogh, Monet, Degas, and Their Times: The Mellon Collection of French Art from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Frist Art Museum, Nashville, TN, February 2 - May 5, 2019; Mississippi Museum of Art, Jackson, MS, April 4, 2020 - January 10, 2021
2018: "Country Life: Masterpieces from the Mellon Collection of MVFA", Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature, Paris, France, September 4 - December 2, 2018
2018: "Van Gogh, Monet, Degas: The Mellon Collection of French Art from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts", The Frick Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, March 17 - July 15, 2018; Oklahoma Museum of Art, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, June 22 - September 22, 2019
"Sport and the Horse," Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, 1 April - 15 May 1960, no. 57, p. 70 (illus.)
Society of the Fine Arts, The Lowe Gallery, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida, 11 December 1953 - January 1954.
2019-2021: Van Gogh, Monet, Degas, and Their Times: The Mellon Collection of French Art from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Frist Art Museum, Nashville, TN, February 2 - May 5, 2019; Mississippi Museum of Art, Jackson, MS, April 4, 2020 - January 10, 2021
2018: "Country Life: Masterpieces from the Mellon Collection of MVFA", Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature, Paris, France, September 4 - December 2, 2018
2018: "Van Gogh, Monet, Degas: The Mellon Collection of French Art from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts", The Frick Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, March 17 - July 15, 2018; Oklahoma Museum of Art, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, June 22 - September 22, 2019
"Sport and the Horse," Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, 1 April - 15 May 1960, no. 57, p. 70 (illus.)
Society of the Fine Arts, The Lowe Gallery, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida, 11 December 1953 - January 1954.
Image released via Creative Commons CC-BY-NC
Some object records are not complete and do not reflect VMFA's full and current knowledge. VMFA makes routine updates as records are reviewed and enhanced.
