Study of a Horse (Primary Title)
Eugène Delacroix, French, 1798 - 1863 (Artist)
Eugène Delacroix was the most successful and longest lived of all romantic artists. Among many notable contributions, he fostered the rebellion against the prevailing taste for neoclassicism, which focused on the importance of structure and balance. Study of a Horse, however, is not overtly romantic in any definitive sense and lacks the overt dynamism often seen as characteristic of the movement. Instead it shows how prescient Delacroix may have been, preparing the way for the Realist artists of the next generation, such as Gustave Courbet.
Estate stamp lower right: ED (Lugt 838a)
Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon
"The French Horse from Géricault to Picasso: Works from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts", University of Richmond, March 3 - April 25, 2016
"French and English Drawings, 1780-1965", Thomas Agnew & Sons, London, June-July 1966; cat. no 131.
"Collectors' Choice", VMFA, April 21 -May 21, 1967.
"In Virginia", VMFA, January 18 - February 14, 1971.
"Eugène Delacroix, Zeichnungen, Aquarelle, Graphik", Kunsthaus Zurich, June 5 - August 23, 1987; cat. no. 1, p. 7 (illus).
"From Delacroix to Toulouse Lautrec: French Drawings from the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon", VMFA, Mellon Galleries, August 23, 1994 to February 12, 1995.
"Corot to Cezanne: French Drawings from the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon", VMFA, September 11, 2010-January 2, 2011.
"Corot to Cezanne: French Drawings from the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon", The Fralin Museum of Art at the University of Virginia, January 25, 2013-June 2, 2013.
"European Modern: Master Artists from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts", VMFA Statewide Exhibition, William King Museum, Abingdon, Virginia, August 23, 2013 to January 5, 2014.
"From Picasso to Magritte: Europan Masters from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts," Taubman Museum of Fine Art, Roanoke, Virginia, January 25 - August 23, 2014.
"French and English Drawings, 1780-1965", Thomas Agnew & Sons, London, June-July 1966; cat. no 131.
"Collectors' Choice", VMFA, April 21 -May 21, 1967.
"In Virginia", VMFA, January 18 - February 14, 1971.
"Eugène Delacroix, Zeichnungen, Aquarelle, Graphik", Kunsthaus Zurich, June 5 - August 23, 1987; cat. no. 1, p. 7 (illus).
"From Delacroix to Toulouse Lautrec: French Drawings from the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon", VMFA, Mellon Galleries, August 23, 1994 to February 12, 1995.
"Corot to Cezanne: French Drawings from the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon", VMFA, September 11, 2010-January 2, 2011.
"Corot to Cezanne: French Drawings from the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon", The Fralin Museum of Art at the University of Virginia, January 25, 2013-June 2, 2013.
"European Modern: Master Artists from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts", VMFA Statewide Exhibition, William King Museum, Abingdon, Virginia, August 23, 2013 to January 5, 2014.
"From Picasso to Magritte: Europan Masters from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts," Taubman Museum of Fine Art, Roanoke, Virginia, January 25 - August 23, 2014.
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.