Alfred Grey (1845-1926)

Alfred Grey RHA (1845-1926). Alfred Gray, landscape and cattle painter,  was son of Charles Grey RHA (1808-1892),  and brother of artists Edwin Landseer Grey, Gregor Grey, James Grey and the engraver Charles Malcolm Grey. He was born and educated in Dublin Ireland. Grey exhibited in the Royal Academy in London, at the Royal Institute and at Dublin’s Royal Hibernian Academy, where over a 60 year period, he exhibited close to 400 works. Grey was elected the first President of the Dublin Sketching Club in 1874 and exhibited widely in Dublin, London, Liverpool, Birmingham and the Royal Scottish Academy, together with the Watercolour Society of Ireland. His work is included in the collections of the National Gallery of Ireland. During the early part of his career, Alfred Grey and his father, who was originally from Scotland, visited the Scottish Highlands as guests of Viscount Powerscourt, thus acquiring the opportunity of studying and painting highland cattle in their natural surroundings. He subsequently specialised in animal portraiture and landscape painting and was commissioned by Queen Victoria, who much admired his work at the Royal Academy, to paint a number of her favourite views in the Scottish Highlands.