The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of October 29, 2026

A square black-and-white photograph depicts a white horse from a low, dramatic perspective. Standing on a grassy slope, its neck turns sharply left, concealing the head and highlighting muscular definition and a dark mane. Dark, leafy branches frame the horse from the upper right. In the background, a gravel road runs beside rolling hills under a pale sky. Tonal contrast and sharp focus emphasize the horse's powerful, sculpted form.

White Horse - Donegal, Ireland

1965–66, printed 1979

Alen MacWeeney

(Irish, b. 1939)
Ireland
gelatin silver print
Gift of Alan and Monah L. Gettner 2023.72.4
© Alen MacWeeney
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

1965 was the centenary of the birth of William Butler Yeats, one of Ireland’s greatest poets.

Description

It was in 1965 thatAlen MacWeeney returned from four years in New York City, where he had worked in the studio of portraitist and fashion photographer Richard Avedon. Rather than reflect his American experience in his work, MacWeeney decided to experiment with two quite different sources of inspiration: Yeats’s poetry and what the photographer called “the Ireland of my imagination.”
  • ?-2023
    Alan and Monah Gettner, given to The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
    June 5, 2023-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • {{cite web|title=White Horse - Donegal, Ireland|url=false|author=Alen MacWeeney|year=1965–66, printed 1979|access-date=29 October 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2023.72.4