Equine artist Fred Stone dies at 87

Fred Stone, an accomplished equine artist who could often be found with a canvas and brush in racetrack paddocks around the world, died on Sunday of complications of cancer, according to his family. Stone was 87.

Stone, a commercial artist after graduating from the Choinard Art Institute in Los Angeles, began painting racehorses in the 1970s and quickly found success. After establishing his reputation as a sought-after equine artist, he focused almost exclusively on the racing world, and originals of his work are in the collections of both the British royal family and the White House. A Stone original in the Paris Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas has been called the largest horse mural in the world.

Stone’s work ranged from breeding farm to backstretch. His paintings included intimate portraits of jockeys and horses, depictions of racetrack paddock scenes and stretch runs, and sometimes even whimsical imaginations of horses or other animals.

Stone sold thousands of prints of his originals, and sales of his works often supported racing charities. Prints of a portrait of a rescue dog being held by a firefighter, produced after the 9/11 attacks on New York, raised $500,000 for the families of firefighters who died that day.

A family posting about his death said that he was surrounded by family when he died.