Rosa Bonheur was a French painter and sculptor born in 1822 in Bordeaux. Taught by her art teacher father, Bonheur showed immense talent in her teen years. Rosa Bonheur’s paintings reflected her intense study of her subjects and led her to produce true-to-life work that was regularly exhibited at the Paris Salon.  

Paintings by Rosa Bonheur are known for their immaculate attention to detail. Her most famous piece of realism art is The Horse Fair, which is housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. In 1865, Bonheur was the first female to be awarded the French Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour. Rosa Bonheur’s drawings and realism prints were so popular in France and internationally that she was able to purchase a chateau near Fontainebleau, where she died in 1899. You’ll find a wealth of outstanding vintage animal oil paintings for sale online and at auction.