Rosa Bonheur was an acclaimed French artist, famous for her paintings of horses, though she also painted other animals such as birds and even humans on occasion. It’s impossible to talk about Rosa Bonheur without mentioning her work, but in addition to being a talented painter, Rosa Bonheur had many other interesting facts that make her more than just the subject of art history courses and paintings on museum walls. Here are ten interesting facts you may never have known about Rosa Bonheur . . .
- That she was once arrested for shoplifting
Early in her career, Rosa Bonheur had to overcome some struggles. She was once arrested and convicted for shoplifting groceries in Paris. Fortunately, a kindly judge told her she wouldn’t need to serve jail time if she paid for what she stole. If only all shoplifters could get off so easily! This must have been quite a blow to her pride, but it taught her an important lesson about getting by on little money.
- She learned to paint from her father at age 3
Self-taught painter and sculptor, Rosa Bonheur is one of few female artists to ever attain such a high level of success in her male-dominated industry. At age 3, she picked up a paintbrush for the first time (with her father’s encouragement) and had made great strides by age 13. Her father then sent her to art school in Paris to expand her skills even further.
- She didn't want to be an artist because it was too hard
Growing up, Rosa Bonheur didn’t have much interest in becoming an artist; she wanted to be a doctor instead. She eventually decided to study art so that she could go out into the world and help people. She was particularly fascinated by anatomy. At some point, she told her father that being an artist was too hard—and then went on to become one of France’s greatest artists ever.
- She would only wear rose-colored clothing
If there is one thing that everyone knows about artist Rosa Bonheur, it’s that she painted life-size paintings of horses. But they might not know that she only ever wore rose-colored clothing (some sources even say her entire wardrobe was just variations on rose). It’s rumored that her love of pink came from one of her earliest memories; at 3 years old, after seeing a beautiful pink parasol in Paris and asking for it, she was given an ugly green one instead.
- She painted almost every animal except lions and tigers
Lion and tiger sketches have been found among her works, but she never actually painted them. Maybe she thought those animals were too dangerous to paint or that they’d just end up devouring her once she was done. Either way, it makes for an interesting fact about Rosa Bonheur that not many people are aware of. Plus, it makes sense: It wouldn’t be surprising if she had lions and tigers on her mind considering a large portion of her work focused on horses and other farm animals.
- A painting of hers broke auction records in 2017 when it sold for $45.4 million dollars
Despite living more than a century ago, Rosa Bonheur’s paintings continue to fetch high prices at auction. Her last painting fetched $45.4 million dollars in 2017, and her Le Chameau à l’Eau (The Camel) sold for $39.6 million in 2011. Bonheur was also a sculptor, but it was her skills as a painter that made her famous.
- Her father taught her how to sculpt, too
Though she grew up on a farm and loved animals, France’s Rosa Bonheur (1822-1899) was hardly destined to become an animal painter. That is until her father started teaching her how to sculpt at age 12. Before long, she knew that she wanted to be an artist—and not just any kind of artist: I will be an animal painter like our old friend Landseer, she wrote in a letter about her future dreams.
- Horses were her favorite subject, but she hated drawing them!
Although she favored painting horses, it’s a little-known fact that French painter Rosa Bonheur (1822–1899) actually hated to draw them. She claimed that her frequent problems with horses stemmed from childhood injury; as a young girl, she had fallen and crushed one of her legs while trying to climb into a horse-drawn carriage.
- The French government gave her land so she could live close to animals in a farmhouse she designed herself
While most famous for her paintings of wild animals, Rosa was also a horse lover. In 1846, when she returned to France after living in Spain and Madrid, she asked Louis-Philippe I, King of France and Navarre at that time, if she could buy a piece of land near Paris where she could live with her horses.
- She had a pet cow, which she named Juliette, and loved riding on it around the yard even though it was very large
This is a fun fact about Rosa Bonheur that many people don’t know. A painter and animal rights activist, she also loved cats, goats, dogs, and horses as well. She was also an avid equestrian, who painted many famous paintings of horses as well as scenes from her life on her family’s farm in France.