William Secord is the world's leading authority on nineteenth century dog paintings, and the owner of the eponymous gallery on Manhattan's Upper East Side, specializing in the sale of fine nineteenth and early twentieth dog and animal paintings.With a background in art history and arts administration (B.A. with Honors in Art History, Carleton University; M.A. Arts Administration, New York University), Secord worked at the Museum of American Folk Art before embarking on his career in dog and animal art. In 1981 he became the first director of The Dog Museum of America in New York City, which mounted an impressive series of exhibitions. When the Museum moved to its current headquarters in St. Louis in 1986, Secord started his own art business and in 1990 opened a commercial gallery. The author of many books and articles on the subject of the dog in art, Secord's first book on dog painting, Dog Painting, 1840-1940, A Social History of the Dog in Art, published in 1992, went into six printings and is now out of print. His 456 page revision of this book, now entitled, Dog Painting, A History of The Dog in Art, is lavishly illustrated in full color with 525 illustrations. Secord is also the author of Dog Painting, The European Breeds, his second book for The Antique Collectors' Club, published in 2000, and now in its second edition. His third book on nineteenth century dog painting A Breed Apart, The Art Collections of The AKC and The AKC Museum of The Dog, with 450 color illustrations, was published in 2002 by the Antique Collectors' Club, and is currently in its second printing. Secord also co-authored Best in Show, The Dog in Art from the Renaissance to the Present, a catalogue published by Yale University Press in 2006. His latest book, The American Dog at Home, The Dog Portraits of Christine Merrill, published by ACC Editions in 2010, is in its second printing.An acknowledged expert in the field, Secord has lectured extensively on dog painting. He is active in many dog and animal-related charities. He served on the National Board of Directors of The ASPCA from1997 to 2008. He is member of the Morris and Essex Kennel Club, an overseas member of The Kennel Club, London, and a life member of The British Sporting Art Trust.Please visit William Secord Gallery website to see our entire collection: www.dogpainting.com