SuperbOwl Sunday

A little bird mentioned that #SuperbOwlSunday falls on the 7th February this year. In celebration, here is a spotlight on some of the finest depictions of owls on Art UK.

Artists featured in this Curation: Alfred Priest (1810–1850), Carlo Levi (1902–1975), R. Williams, Gordon Griffiths (b.1944), Walter Spitzer (b.1927), Walenty Pytel (b.1941), Joy Sulway, Julian Warren (b.1958), Marjan Wouda (b.1960), Keith Rowntree, and 11 more See all

21 artworks

Storyline Album Showcase

Owlegarchy 1848
Alfred Priest (1810–1850)
Oil on canvas
H 77 x W 63.7 cm
Norfolk Museums Service

Image credit: Norfolk Museums Service
Head of an Owl
Carlo Levi (1902–1975)
Oil on wood
H 65 x W 44 cm
Royal Academy of Music

© DACS 2024. Image credit: Royal Academy of Music
Tawny Owl
R. Williams (active c.1960–1988)
Oil on card
H 30.5 x W 20.5 cm
English Heritage, Brodsworth Hall

© the copyright holder. Image credit: Historic England Archive
Barn Owl
Gordon Griffiths (b.1944)
Steel & wood
H 98 x W 51 x D 37 cm
The Beacon Museum

© the artist. Image credit: The Beacon Museum
Owl
Walter Spitzer (b.1927)
Oil on canvas
H 17.8 x W 11.5 cm
Paintings Collection

© ADAGP, Paris and DACS, London 2024. Image credit: Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Owl 1973
Walenty Pytel (b.1941)
Welded steel
H 49.5 x W 34.5 x D 16 cm
Stockport Heritage Services

© Walenty Pytel. All Rights Reserved, DACS 2023. Image credit: Stockport Heritage Services
Two Owls
Joy Sulway
Acrylic on board
H 25.3 x W 35.7 cm
Totnes Elizabethan House Museum

Image credit: Totnes Elizabethan House Museum
Night Owls 2017
Julian Warren (b.1958)
Stainless steel
H 50 x W 25 x D 25 cm
University of Bristol

© the artist. Image credit: University of Bristol
Owl of Few Words c.2003
Marjan Wouda (b.1960)
Bronze (?)
H 61 x W 22.5 x D 26 cm
Lancashire County Council

© the artist. Image credit: Lancashire County Council
The One-Legged Owl with a Cinnamon Lute
Keith Rowntree
Oil on canvas
H 61 x W 46 cm
Dudley Museums Service

Image credit: Dudley Museums Service
Barred Owl 1985
Charles Joslin (1922–2001)
Wood engraving on paper
H 29.4 x W 21.2 cm
American Museum & Gardens

© the copyright holder. Image credit: American Museum & Gardens
The Gates of Death 1969
John Bellany (1942–2013)
Oil on canvas
H 186.5 x W 152.5 cm
The Stirling Smith Art Gallery & Museum

© the artist's estate / Bridgeman Images. Image credit: The Stirling Smith Art Gallery & Museum
Francis Carruthers Gould (1844–1925), at His Desk 1899
Alec Carruthers Gould (1870–1948)
Oil on canvas
H 38 x W 50 cm
Barnstaple Town Council

Image credit: Barnstaple Town Council
The Owl and the Pussycat 1981–1983
Peter Blake (b.1932)
Tempera on hardboard
H 27.3 x W 31.8 cm
Bristol Museums, Galleries & Archives

© Peter Blake. All rights reserved, DACS 2023. Image credit: Bristol Museums, Galleries & Archives
James Boswell (1740–1795), Diarist and Biographer of Dr Samuel Johnson 1765
George Willison (1741–1797)
Oil on canvas
H 135.2 x W 96.5 cm
National Galleries of Scotland

Image credit: National Galleries of Scotland
Barn Owl 1997
Verner Finlay (b.1962)
Oil on board
H 25 x W 18 cm
Northern Ireland Civil Service

© the artist. Image credit: Northern Ireland Civil Service
Owl and Young
Owl and Young 2004
Joanasie Manning (b.1967)
Steatite & bone
H 21 x W 20 cm
Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge

© reproduced with the permission of Dorset Fine Arts. Image credit: Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge
A Man in Armour 1655 (?)
Rembrandt van Rijn (1606–1669)
Oil on canvas
H 137.5 x W 104.4 cm
Glasgow Life Museums

Image credit: Glasgow Life Museums
A Pair of Owls 1905
August Gaul (1869–1922)
Bronze, glass & porphyry
H 21.6 x W 12.7 x D 10.8 cm
National Trust, Shaw's Corner

Image credit: National Trust Images
Pecking Order Pole c.1999
Andy Hancock
Norway spruce
H 915 cm

© the copyright holder. Image credit: Tony Bennett / Art UK
Screech Owl 1961
Vincenc Vingler (1911–1975)
Coarse stoneware
H 40.6 cm
Herbert Art Gallery & Museum

© the copyright holder. Image credit: Herbert Art Gallery & Museum