About Robert - Robert Harcus

Robert Harcus A.A.E.A. A.S.E.A Hon DL.

Has been a professional artist for thirty years during which time he has held over thirty one man shows, most of which have been sell-outs and participates in group and juried exhibitions nationwide including the Royal Hibernian Academy and the Oireachtas, further exhibitions held in Great Britain, Mainland Europe and the U.S.A. He is now accepted as one of Ireland’s leading equestrian artists who portrays a variety of breeds in his equine paintings most of which are portrayed in a landscape setting.

He has exhibited successfully at the annual London and Newmarket exhibitions of the society of equestrian artists, including a number at Christies Auction houses at Sj James London and is an associate member of that society. The first and for many years the only Irish artist to gain this distinction. He is a member of other art societies and is listed in the current volume of “Who’s Who in Art”.

Collections that feature his work include: the Irish Government including prominent Government Ministers; International Banking Institutions, many private collections worldwide and corporate collections including the Coca Cola Corporation and Ericssons Ltd.

Some years ago Robert was chosen as a Guest of Honour at the Salon D’Arts in La Rochelle, France by Claude Pissarro, (grandson of the great French Impressionist Camille). Robert was then presented with the Medal d’Honneur to mark the occasion. Robert was chosen of Guest of Honour at the Salon 2016 and once again received the Medal d’Honneur to mark the occasion.

He has subsequently exhibited by invitation at salons in Spain, Portugal, Amsterdam Holland, the Maffei Pallace in Rome Italy. His group of paintings in Beffroi De Bruges international exhibition was awarded the gold medal and 1st prize diploma for his contributions to art on the international scene. Several more exhibits were sent to the La Rochelle Salon and in 2013 Robert was awarded the Bordeaux medal for his seascape “After the Storm”. In 2015 he was awarded the Consul General of the Loire Region medal to add to his collection, this for a canine study of a Jack Russell terrier.

Robert has also been honoured yet again by an international arts society by being awarded the medal D’Arts by the Parisian based society who annually present medals in recognition of civic and social dedication. Every nominee must be nominated by a third party sponsored with all relevant information on their achievements and contributions. They are then judged on their merits by the committee.

Robert became the first Irish artist to be made an Associate of the American Academy of Equine Art and in 2014 had the great honour to be elected a full member. In 2016 Robert was voted to signature membership of American Academy of Equine Art by fellow members. Robert remains the only Irish Artist to achieve this accolade. and feels it gives further impetus to achieve an even higher standard in future equine paintings.

Robert has exhibited in many museums and centres of excellence in the USA – New York, Lexington (including the World Equestrian Games), Georgia, Colorado and Missouri and under the continued auspices of the AAEA in many more in the future.

In 2014 he was also awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Letters by the International Biographical Centre for his many contributions to the artistic community. Conferring took place in Queens College Cambridge, England in September.

When we were still learning to draw in art schools, we used to hear over and over again that nothing was more difficult than horses and those who succeeded in it ran a great risk of staying captive to this inaccessible and proud know how Robert Harcus took great care not to: we can't imagine him doing a portrait of a horse, it would be more as a landscape painter that he paints horses. I mean that it's his love of nature that dictates his painting to him, it's in that way that he paints the simplest things as well as the most difficult subject with the same attentive and passionate humility. It's quite obvious that his expertise and skill are exceptional and it must be said extremely rare to-day, but they are completely natural to him and he makes use of them with the most perfect simplicity. As a painter, Robert Harcus is one of those beings of light who remain gladly in the shadows, there he develops that pure world vision which gives rise to the brilliant aptness of his painting.