MY ENCOUNTER AND DISCOVERY: STANDING BEFORE ROSA BONHEUR'S PAINTING “THE HORSE FAIR” AT THE MET, NEW YORK

Back

Rosa Bonheur was a trailblazer. A woman of conviction, she built a life and a career centered on her passion for animals — a path few women had dared to take in the 19th century. Her success was remarkable: she achieved international fame, exhibited in the United States, and even met Queen Victoria. Her work transcended borders and eras.
As a contemporary French artist, I have always been moved by her journey. Like Rosa Bonheur, I chose to dedicate my life to animal art. My career began in the early 2000s when I became a member of the Society of Animal Artists (SAA), the oldest international organization for wildlife art based in the United States. I have participated in several of their annual exhibitions and numerous National Tours. Being accepted and awarded by this prestigious society was a turning point and opened the doors to an international career.
Today, decades apart, we share the same desire: to celebrate the animal world with respect and sensitivity, and to bring our artistic vision across borders.
Through drawing, charcoal, scratchboard, or oil painting, I strive — like Bonheur did — to express the soul and dignity of the living world. My work is regularly exhibited in the United States, and I continue to nurture this precious link between France and America.
Art can travel, inspire, and connect. Rosa Bonheur showed the way. And today, I humbly follow in her footsteps — with the same love for animals and the same hope of touching hearts through art.

"What struck me upon closer inspection of the canvas was a duality that can only be grasped through firsthand observation. Where one expects brutality, an immense finesse is revealed."

"My first discovery was technical. Rosa Bonheur didn’t just paint horses; she painted the air and the dust. Observing the hocks of the Percherons in the foreground, one notices that the outlines are not fixed. They are slightly blurred by a cloud of kicked-up earth. It is this detail—almost Impressionist before its time—that creates the sense of clamor and the trembling of the ground that one feels physically at the MET."

"Scanning the faces of the grooms, I made another, more symbolic discovery. Amidst this masculine and animal turmoil, there is a form of serenity in the way the gazes are portrayed. Rosa Bonheur does not judge this brutal world; she elevates it. One can feel that she spent months by their side, dressed in her canvas trousers, making herself invisible to capture the true moment, without any artifice."

"Finally, there is that late Parisian afternoon light. In a reproduction, the white coats appear flat. In reality, they are composed of an infinite array of nuances: cool blues in the shadows, warm ochres in the white, where the skin pulsates. Every brushstroke is the decision of an anatomist."

"Leaving the MET gallery after such a confrontation is no easy task. You carry with you the sound of hooves, the scent of dust, and, above all, a profound lesson in humility. 'The Horse Fair' is not merely a monument of art history; it is the vibrant testimony of a woman who asserted her vision and her freedom with a quiet strength.

This encounter will remain, for me, much more than a simple travel stop. It is a rediscovery of what it truly means to 'paint life': with rigor, passion, and uncompromising truth. If your journey ever takes you to New York, allow yourself this face-to-face with Rosa Bonheur’s giants. You will not come away unchanged.

Laurence Saunois"

Visitez son Domaine à Thomery

sur l'oeuvre "Le Marché aux Chevaux"

Présentation du Musée du MET