Rosa Bonheur and the Horse: Château de Chantilly Exhibition Explores the Painter's Equine Passion

Key facts

• Exhibition 'Rosa Bonheur et le cheval' runs from September 12 to January 3 at the Château de Chantilly.
• It is held in two locations: the Musée vivant du Cheval and the cabinet d'arts graphiques of the Musée Condé.
• The show comprises about forty rarely seen or previously unpublished paintings, drawings, engravings, and sculptures.
• Most works come from the Château de By in Thomery, Rosa Bonheur's former home.
• The Musée Condé's painting Le Berger des Pyrénées donnant du sel à ses moutons was commissioned in 1864 by Marie-Caroline de Bourbon-Siciles, wife of Henri d'Orléans.
• Curator Charlène Totin states that Bonheur's work is a plea for animal welfare, showing the violence of men and the emotions of horses, not a romantic vision.
• The exhibition includes a section on Isidore Bonheur (1827–1901), the artist's brother, with four bronze horse models from private collections.
• Rosa Bonheur visited Chantilly only in 1894, thirty years after the painting's arrival, invited to lunch by the duc d'Aumale with sculptor Auguste Cain.