Images of dogs can be traced back to classical antiquity. Over the centuries and up to contemporary times, they have been cast in a variety of roles through painting, sculpture, photography, poetry and film.   

Join renowned art historian and curator, Dr Edgar Peters Bowron, as he discusses these roles and reflects upon some of the brilliant works seen in our Portraits of Dogs exhibition. From Renaissance hunting dogs to modish dogs in stylish portrait paintings, he will show how canines offer the opportunity for humour, how they fuflil the role of artists’ muse, and in more recent times, how they can be key characters in film.   

Includes refreshments and the opportunity to visit our Portraits of Dogs: From Gainsborough to Hockney exhibition.    

About the speaker: Dr Edgar Peters Bowron has worked in several American art museums as a curator and director, and served for nearly 20 years as The Audrey Jones Beck Curator of European Art at The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, before his retirement in 2015. Specialising in Italian paintings of the 17th and 18th centuries, he is the author of numerous exhibition catalogues and books including the catalogue raisonné of the paintings and drawings of Pompeo Batoni (1708–87). He was the co-organiser of the exhibition Best in Show: The Dog in Art from the Renaissance to Today (Bruce Museum, Greenwich, Connecticut, and The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas 2006–07).     

Take part at the Museum: Join us at the museum for this special talk and exhibition visit.    

Watch Online: This talk will also be broadcast live from the museum. Online ticketholders will be emailed a link to join 24 hours in advance. Online ticketholders will also receive a link to view a recording of the talk, which will be available for two weeks. 

Image Credit: Jean-Jacques Bachelier (1724-1806), Dog of the Havana Breed, 1768, oil on canvas, French School, © The Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle