Exhibition – Rosa Bonheur and the horse

Highly regarded by the Duke of Aumale, who commissioned a painting from her, Rosa Bonheur visited the Château de Chantilly several times. Passionate about horses, it is only natural that France’s largest museum dedicated to this animal should pay tribute to her.

Although Rosa Bonheur painted a wide variety of animals, horses seem to have held a special place in her heart, as evidenced by the resounding success of her famous painting Le Marché aux chevaux (The Horse Market) in 1853. The artist studied them rigorously in their natural environment, but also at fairs and slaughterhouses, and depicted them with a mastery of form and movement rarely seen before. A horse owner herself, Rosa Bonheur drew inspiration from her own mounts, which became the muses for many of her paintings. Combining drawings, paintings, photographs, and rare archival materials, the exhibition reveals the creative process that enabled her to capture, with unique sensitivity, the power, grace, and individuality of the horses she depicted.

Organized in two parts, at the Musée Condé and the Musée Vivant du Cheval, this event focuses on Rosa Bonheur’s relationship with Chantilly and her interest in the animal that reigns supreme there: the horse.

In partnership with Château de Rosa Bonheur.