Painter, photographer and author (1935 – 2025)
Keith Money was one of Carbrooke’s most distinguished – and probably least well-known – residents. Living quietly in the village for many years, few people may have realised that their neighbour was an internationally recognised artist, photographer and author whose work was admired by royalty, collectors and leading figures in the worlds of ballet, equestrian sport and the arts.
Born in New Zealand in 1935 to English parents, Money studied at the Elam School of Fine Arts in Auckland before settling in Britain during the 1950s. He first established his reputation as a painter, particularly for his evocative equestrian subjects. His work was exhibited at leading London galleries and entered a number of prestigious collections, including those of Queen Elizabeth II, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, King Charles III (when Prince of Wales), and the American philanthropist Paul Mellon.
Alongside his painting, Keith Money enjoyed an equally successful career as a photographer. He became renowned for his photographs of ballet dancers and performers, working with celebrated figures such as Dame Margot Fonteyn, Rudolf Nureyev and Olympic and World Champion figure skater John Curry.His photographs appeared in numerous books and publications, and he was also a prolific author, writing acclaimed books on ballet, equestrian subjects and old roses, including biographies of Anna Pavlova and Margot Fonteyn
Although his professional career took him around Britain and overseas, Norfolk became his home. Among the works dispersed from his estate after his death were paintings depicting local landscapes, including A Norfolk Headland, Carbrooke, suggesting that the surrounding countryside provided inspiration for his work.
Keith died in 2025, leaving behind a remarkable artistic legacy spanning painting, photography and writing. His years in Carbrooke are a reminder that people of national and international significance have sometimes lived quietly within the village, leaving little trace beyond the memories of those who knew them.
Selected Works
⬥ Anna Pavlova: Her Life and Art (1982)
⬥ Fonteyn & Nureyev: The Great Years (1994)
⬥ The Art of the Royal Ballet (1964/67)
⬥ Salute the Horse (1960)