To mark the bicentenary of the birth of Rosa Bonheur (1822-1899) in Bordeaux, the Musée des Beaux-Arts in her native city and the Musée d'Orsay, Paris, are organising a major retrospective of her work. The Château Musée Rosa Bonheur in Thomery (Seine-et-Marne), where the artist lived for almost half a century, is a guest partner in the exhibition, as well as Musée départemental des peintres de Barbizon. This anniversary has been included in the 2022 calendar of France Mémoire.
This major national and international event honours an extraordinary, innovative and inspiring artist. A true icon of women's liberation, Rosa Bonheur placed the living world at the heart of her work and her existence. She was committed to the recognition of animals in their uniqueness. With her great technical mastery, she was able to render both the anatomy and the psychology of animals. This exhibition allows the public to (re)discover the power and richness of her art, as well as her life as a free woman, which has become mythical, and her work, which is formidably popular in the United States and in the United Kingdom.
This exhibition will be presented in 2022 in Bordeaux and then in Paris. It will take place in the Galerie des Beaux-Arts and the north wing of the museum and will bring together almost two hundred works - paintings, graphic arts, sculptures, photographies and documents - from the most prestigious public and private collections in Europe and the United States. Rising contemporary issues, this exhibition is part of the international trend of exhibitions devoted to women artists and a renewed interest in the theme of animals, which will be honoured at the Fontainebleau Art History Festival in 2022.
