Derby Dandies

In 1981 the artist was commissioned to commemorate the 107th running of the Kentucky Derby with a large painting, a poster, and this limited edition print. The painting was first exhibited at the Governor’s Derby morning breakfast party, and was reproduced on five thousand invitations for the event. The artist also signed posters at the Governor’s Derby party held at his Cave Hill mansion for celebrity guests. For his subject matter, the artist bypassed the race horses and their riders and chose to work instead with the brightly colored and patterned jockey silks hanging in the silk room. Each print has a remark, hand-drawn by the artist, of the famous steeples of Churchill Downs appearing in the lower left corner.