ROYAL KENNEL CLUB ART GALLERY SHOWCASES THREE CENTURIES OF WOMEN ARTISTS WHO TURNED DOG PORTRAITURE INTO A PROFESSION
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A landmark Mayfair exhibition by the Royal Kennel Club opens 10th June, uncovering how over 100 women artists built independent careers in the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries by turning woman's best friend into art
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With a fifty-fifty split of male to female artists in the collection, the gallery is leading the way for gender parity compared to others in the field
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It is also one of very few galleries in London where your four-legged companion is just as welcome as you are
The Royal Kennel Club (RKC) Art Gallery, home to the largest collection of dog art and artefacts in Europe, opens its latest exhibition this summer. ‘Leaders of the Pack: The Women of the Royal Kennel Club Art Collection’ tells the surprising story of how, across three centuries, women found an unlikely route to professional independence: painting dogs.
Among the most notable works on display are a pastel portrait of Dookie, Queen Elizabeth II's first corgi, by Lucy Dawson, as well as works by Frances Fairman and Anne Zoutsos, whose portrait of the Crufts 2025 Best in Show entered the RKC collection earlier this year.
One of London’s most distinctive and widely appealing specialist collections, the Royal Kennel Club Art Gallery is centrally located, just two minutes’ walk from Green Park station. This hidden Mayfair gem is a must visit for any dog or art lover, and one of very few galleries in London where your four-legged companion is just as welcome as you are.
The exhibition ‘Leaders of the Pack: The Women of the Royal Kennel Club Art Collection’ opens 10 June 2026 at the RKC gallery at 10 Clarges Street, Mayfair, bringing together over 120 works by more than 100 female artists, women who largely faced exclusion from formal art training and gallery representation, yet built remarkable professional careers regardless. Spanning painting, sculpture, drawing, printmaking and medals, the works trace both how women turned to canine portraiture to carve a professional path, and the arc of female emancipation in Britain from the Victorian era to the present day.
At a moment when institutions across the cultural arts are actively reappraising the women written out of art history, the Royal Kennel Club Art Gallery has been proudly preserving their work for decades. With a fifty-fifty split of male to female artists in the collection, the gallery is leading the way for gender parity compared to others in the field; in 2022, researchers at Cambridge University found that only seven percent of art in top UK galleries was by female artists, with the Tate Modern’s collection sitting at less than forty percent and the National Gallery’s at roughly one percent.1
‘Leaders of the Pack: The Women of the Royal Kennel Club Art Collection’ features art by masters in their field, such as Maud Earl (1863–1943). Earl was one of the most celebrated animal painters of her generation, with more than 125 works in the RKC collection charting the evolution of her style across a six-decade career. Lilian Cheviot and Fanny Moody are also included; both artists supported themselves entirely through dog art commissions, speaking to the appetite for canine portraiture in that era and to the determination of women who built careers entirely on their own terms.
The exhibition is not exclusively a historical survey. Anne Zoutsos, a practising artist for more than 30 years whose work is held in the Royal Collection Trust, contributed a portrait of Crufts 2025 Best in Show winner Miuccia, Ch/Int/Multi Ch Una Donna Che Conta. A print of the Whippet entered the RKC collection in March 2026, proof that the tradition these women established is very much alive.
Jannine Edgar, Chief Executive at the Royal Kennel Club said: “We are incredibly proud to open ‘Leaders of the Pack’ and shine a light on the remarkable women represented in the Royal Kennel Club collection. These artists built successful careers, developed distinctive creative voices and helped shape the history of canine portraiture across three centuries.
“It is a wonderfully uplifting exhibition filled with character, charm and exceptional artistry, and we are delighted to welcome visitors (and their dogs!) to discover this hidden part of British art history.”
Whether you are an art lover, a dog lover, or simply curious, visits are complimentary and by appointment. Curator-led tours are available, and private group tours can be arranged for a small charge. To book: Art.Gallery@thekennelclub.org.uk / 020 7518 1064.