Robert Harcus has been a professional artist for twenty years, during which time he has held almost thirty one-man shows, most of which have been sell-outs, and participates in exhibitions nationwide as well as in France, Great Britain and the USA. 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.

For some years he has exhibited successfully at the annual London and Newmarket Exhibitions of the Society of Equestrian Artists and is an Associate Member of that society, the first and for some 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".

Robert's work is included in the collections of the Leader of the Irish Government, prominent Government ministers; International Banking Institutions and many 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). Then and subsequently, he was presented with the Medal d'Honneur to mark the occasions and this year was also awarded the First Prize Medal. Recently he has been invited to exhibit at the International Salon of Fine Arts in Argeles-Sur-Mer. Also Salons in Marennes and Nantes where this year he was awarded the Gold Medal and Diploma. Highlights of recent years were exhibiting at the American Academy of Equine Art's Fall Exhibitions in Lexington, Kentucky and having the honour of an Associateship of the Academy bestowed on him, again the first Irish artist to be so honoured.

Further Highlights were exhibiting at the Headquarters of the National Stud in Ireland; The International Horse Show at Ballsbridge, Dublin; The Columbia Arts League, Missouri and the Wildlife Experience Museum in Denver, Colorado. The following profile was written by Claude Pissarro as a foreword for the catalogue of Robert's most recent one man exhibition:

"When we were still learning to draw in the 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 today, 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.

I was present last year at the awesome success which his work accomplished in France. Robert is responsible at the very least for generating the same admiring understanding here."

Hugues Claude Pissarro

Contact Robert at St. Endas, South Quay, Arklow, Co. Wicklow, Ireland
Email him at robertharcus@eircom.net
Telephone: 00353-86-8968352