Acclaimed street artist Paul Curtis is celebrating scoring a Red Rum hat-trick after painting his third masterpiece of the world’s most iconic racehorse in Southport.
It is a fitting tribute to Rummie, who earned legendary status with his own hat-trick, winning Grand Nationals at Aintree Racecourse in 1973, 1974 and 1977. He finished second in 1975 and 1976.
Paul’s floor-to-ceiling Red Rum mural now takes pride of place in a first floor art gallery at The Atkinson, on Lord Street in Southport at an impressive 4m 20cm high and 5m wide.
It is part of a fascinating new Red Rum exhibition which will take place at The Atkinson between Saturday, 3rd July 2021 and Saturday, 2nd October 2021. Admission is free.
The exhibition opens in time for this year’s Independents Day, which takes place on Saturday, 3rd July and Sunday, 4th July to encourage people to head into town and support our local independent businesses.
Paul Curtis was declared Liverpool City Region Artist of the Year by the LCR Culture & Creativity Awards last year, after painting a giant 15m four-storey high mural of Red Rum on the gable end of a row of buildings on the corner of Scarisbrick Avenue and the Promenade. The work was commissioned for Sefton Borough of Culture.
Paul’s other Red Rum mural was painted on the side of The Bold Hotel on Lord Street in Southport, while he also created the Audrey Hepburn artwork outside David H Myers Opticians on London Street in Southport and the much-photographed ‘For All Liverpool’s Liver Birds’ (aka ‘The Liver Bird Wings) on Jamaica Street, in the Baltic Triangle in Liverpool.
Liverpool mural artist Paul Curtis and the huge Red Rum artwork in Southport
Paul Curtis said: “It’s another hat-trick for Red Rum!
“This mural of the champion horse is going to be the centerpiece of a new exhibition at The Atkinson. It opens on 3rd July.
“This is my third Red Rum mural in Southport, but it is the first time I have ever had my art displayed in a public gallery. This is a big thing for me and huge thanks to The Atkinson for showing confidence in me. It’s massively appreciated.”
Paul’s impressive artwork is now due to be unveiled this weekend, but it has been a while in the making.
He said: “This has been in the planning since the start of December.
“Joanne Chamberlain, the Heritage & Participation Officer at The Atkinson, contacted me to say they were doing something to celebrate Red Rum and the links to Southport and asked if I could do something for them?
“This is the first time I have created something in an art gallery, which is quite exciting.
“It is something I have always wanted to achieve.
“They were kind of taking a chance by giving me this commission!”
Red Rum training on Southport Beach. Photo by The Atkinson
Red Rum is the world’s most famous racehorse, and he is much-loved in his home town of Southport.
After being passed from training yard to training yard in his early years, he found his footing when Southport car dealer Ginger McCain bought him for his client Noel le Mare and famously trained the horse on the sands at Southport.
Galloping through sea water may have proved highly beneficial to Red Rum’s hooves.
Ginger McCain took the racehorse for a therapeutic swim in the sea off Southport to help treat the horse’s pedal osteitis, a debilitating, incurable bone disease in his hoof.
Rummie was stabled in Birkdale and was a popular sight around venues across Southport where he performed a number of public events.
The new Red Rum exhibition at The Atkinson will trace his life through a racing career which took him over 300 miles and 1,800 obstacles to his becoming an iconic sports celebrity in retirement.
The display will be curated by Jane Clarke, Historian of Aintree Racecourse and Curator of The Grand National Museum.
Artist Paul Curtis has created a Red Rum mural for a new exhibtion at The Atkinson in Southport. Photo by Paul Curtis Artwork
While many in Southport have fond memories of Red Rum – either through seeing him watching the Grand National or winning bets – the races he won were before Pau Curtis’ time.
Paul said: “I don’t remember Red Rum’s racing days. I am not that old!
“But everyone knows the legend of Red Rum, and the stories about him.
“He is a legend, not just in Southport, but across Sefton and Liverpool for winning all those Grand Nationals and racing at Aintree Racecourse.”
He is looking forward to the crowds arriving at The Atkinson in Southport and enjoying the exhibition and his Red Rum mural over the coming months.
The appreciation of his art is something that was unfortunately put on hold when he completed his 15m four story high Red Rum mural on the Promenade, one of the centrepieces of last year’s Sefton Borough of Culture celebrations.
Paul said: “The day I finished that mural in March last year, the first Covid lockdown started!
“It would have been nicer if I had finished it to celebrate lockdown ending.
“We still haven’t had the official opening for it! We were hoping to coincide that with this year’s Grand National, but unfortunately it was postponed. Hopefully it will happen next year!”
- The Red Rum exhibition takes place at The Atkinson on Lord Street in Southport from Saturday, 3rd July 2021 until Saturday, 2nd October 2021. Admission is free. For more details visit: www.theatkinson.co.uk/exhibition/red-rum/
For more details about Paul Curtis Artwork please visit: www.paulcurtisartwork.com
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