~Richard Stone Reeves~

Location: born in New York City, was raised in Garden City in Long Island, USA

November 6, 1919 – October 7, 2005

Richard Stone Reeves was an American equine painter. the famous horseracing magazine, “Blood-Horse”  described him as perhaps the “greatest modern-day horse painter”.

Born in New York City, Reeves grew up in Garden City on Long Island. His father’s family included a painter and his mother’s family owned race horses. Those influences, plus living near Belmont Park Racetrack, founded his love of horses and desire to paint them.

Reeves graduated with a Fine Arts degree from Syracuse University. He served with the United States Navy during World War II after which he made his art career by painting horses. His big break came when LIFE magazine featured his painting of 1947 Horse of the Year, Armed. That publicity led to him being hired to do private portraits for many American and European horse owners. As well as portraits, Reeves did a number of action scenes from memorable races. More than a dozen of his works can be found at in the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, New York.

When asked, Richard Stone Reeves said: “Buckpasser was the most perfectly proportioned Thoroughbred I have ever seen.” Only two horses, Secretariat and Affirmed, have since been “in a class with Buckpasser”.

Richard Stone Reeves died 2005 at Eastern Long Island Hospital in Greenport, N.Y.

Here are a few of the books that include photos of his work:

 

• Horse named Kelso – Pat Johnson and Walter D. Osborne (1970) – Illustrated with Richard Stone Reeves’ paintings
• Thoroughbreds I Have Known (1973) – portraits by Richard Stone Reeves.
• Classic Lines : A Gallery of the Great Thoroughbreds (1975) – with Patrick Robinson
• Decade of Champions : The Greatest Years in the History of Thoroughbred Racing, 1970-1980. (1981) – with Patrick Robinson.
• Legends : The Art of Richard Stone Reeves (1989)
• Belmont Park: A Century of Champions. Edward L. Bowen.

 

 

Below are paintings listed in Christie’s Auction of Reeves paintings from his own collection. Also, I have included their estimated prices. June 23 2015,  Rockefeller Plaza, New York City, USA.

See more info at their site here.

We have his poster, “The Sport of Kings” hanging on our wall as I write this– it is right in front of me. He had an exhibit at the Montclair Art Museum, NJ in 1985.

See you Friday~ and join us on #EquineArtHour on Twitter for a Q&A with Equestrian Creative Network , 4-5pm EST.