When British painter George Stubbs realistically rendered champion racehorse Whistlejacket in 1762, little could he have imagined the life-sized stallion being one day being replaced by a purple-haired cartoon pony.
However, masterpieces at the National Gallery will be transformed into My Little Pony characters for a new Netflix release, as the art institution seeks the backing of entertainment giants following controversy over past donors.
The streaming service is to air a film version of My Little Pony, and a smartphone app has been devised for children visiting the National Gallery which refigures equestrian artworks, including Whistlejacket, as brightly-coloured ponies from the animated franchise.
The project backed by Hasbro, the ￡4 billion multinational rights-holders of My Little Pony, is aimed at appealing to younger audiences, it is understood, and forging new relationships with benefactors beyond the reproach of campaigners against fossil fuel funding in the arts.
Shell stopped its partnership with the gallery in 2018 following criticism from environmental campaigners. However, corporate backing is still provided by banks such as Credit Suisse and Credit Agricole, which have fossil fuel investments in their portfolios.
It is understood that the gallery is looking to diversify its partnerships, while also benefiting from international reach of companies such as Netflix to boost the gallery’s profile online.
A spokesman for the gallery said: “We work with a range of partners to bring new audiences to the Gallery. This activity and event has come about through our corporate development arm, who work with corporate sponsors to help support the work of the Gallery.
“Like all activity of this sort, the unrestricted funding that this provides enables the Gallery to continue to work to deliver on core objectives, and enable free access to art for everyone.”
The new project will involve visitors pointing devices with the My Little Pony augmented reality app at ten cavanasses which will transform on-screen into characters who offer a commentary on the original artworks.
Whistlejacket will become the purple-haired pony Sunny Starscout when the app is pointed on the 250-year-old year-old canvas, while Anthony van Dyck’s 1637 portrait of Charles I on a stallion will become the pink unicorn Izzy Moonbow.
Eugene Delacroix’s work Ovid Among The Scythian will be augmented with cartoon pegasus Pipp Petals, and Sir Joshua Reynolds’ portrait of Captain Robert Orme will become a portrait of Deputy Sprout, the main antagonist in My Little Pony’s fictional setting Equestria.
Rachael Saunders, a children’s books illustrator, designed the images which will digitally replace the equestrian artworks, which she hopes will help engage younger visitors to the National Gallery.
Ruth Millington, an art historian and critic, has raised concerns that some could see the new project as “tacky” and “incompatible” with artistic “sacred spaces”.
However, she added that the National Gallery’s approach “could offer an alternative answer to cash-strapped museums as they seek to modernise and, for some, simply keep their doors open”.
“Although I never expected to find a My Little Pony app inside an art museum, I am not altogether surprised to see this type of creative-commercial collaboration,” she said.
“Even the most traditional of galleries and museums have now embraced technology to stay relevant and open up access. Given that younger generations are more digitally-oriented than ever, this sort of app allows the museum to attract and entertain new visitors.
“But, we must remember that museums are not simply places of entertainment; they also assume a position of trust in society. They have a duty of care to the public they serve, so we will need transparency around these types of collaborations, including whom exactly they are benefiting and how much money changes hands.”
The National Gallery has said that it paid no money towards the My Little Pony project.