Major SEA Exhibition a Must for Art Lovers in Newmarket 

Newmarket is bursting with talent this week and not just of the four-legged variety. Visitors to the town for the sales and racing can also take advantage of the art scene with a stunning new exhibition of the Society of Equestrian Artists (SEA) having just opened in the National Horseracing Museum.

Celebrating the 40th anniversary of the SEA, 'We Give You The Horse' runs until May 21 and comprises the work of more than 40 leading members of the society with some familiar names among them. 

Plenty of people in the bloodstock industry will be familiar with Jim Power, the former stud groom at Banstead Manor Stud who was billed by SEA President Lord Grimthorpe in his welcome speech at a private view on Tuesday evening as “the first person ever to lay hands on Frankel”. Since his retirement from Juddmonte, Power has continued to develop his work as an artist and art tutor, and has been a driving force behind the society for years. 

While the sport of horseracing is a major focus, the exhibition also contains pictures and bronzes depicting all manner of equestrian disciplines, and an extra treat is provided in the inclusion of an original Alfred Munnings painting, 'Two Lady Riders Under an Evening Sky' which is on loan from the Munnings Museum in Dedham.

Zoe Carmichael's bronze entitled A Red Letter Day

“I am truly thrilled that we have been given the chance to exhibit so many young and up-and-coming artists along with, of course, some of our esteemed founder members,” said Lord Grimthorpe. “This is a wonderful chance to promote and enjoy and celebrate all the great work that the SEA does, not only in this fantastic setting but especially in terms of education and workshops which is the absolute bedrock of the SEA.”

The exhibition, which is free to attend, is accompanied by a programme of art masterclasses, painting demonstrations and hands-on workshops which will take place throughout the four-week run. Further information an be found on the NHRM website.
Anthea Wood, chair of the SEA, added, “We are thrilled to bring this exhibition to the exceptional National Horseracing Museum, which, alongside the British Sporting Art Trust at Palace House, plays such an important role in promoting equestrian art. As someone originally from Newmarket, it's always a pleasure to return and visit the Museum and Palace House.”

Pop in to see Jayne Odell

Just around the corner from the museum on the High Street, and for this week only, is the pop-up shop and exhibition of Newmarket's very own Jayne Odell, whose stunning black-and-white photography has already featured in a number of shows and will be the subject of a new book next year to mark her tenth anniversary in the town.

Jayne Odell FRPS | Emma Berry

A fellow of the Royal Photographic Society, Odell makes full use of the early morning light and changing seasons in her captivating images on Newmarket Heath, and she also go behind the scenes in some of the town's stables. She does not restrict herself to horses, however, and the work on show also includes a series of reportage portraits of her fellow local allotment holders as well as river scenes from nearby Cambridge.

Odell and her work are in situ until Saturday evening.