Rupert Bunny

Rupert Bunny (1864-1947), was one of the most successful expatriate artists of his generation; indeed no other Australian achieved the critical acclaim nor enjoyed the artistic affiliations which Bunny experienced in Paris in the decades around the turn of the century. A superb colourist and fine draughtsman, with a strong interest in rhythmic composition, Bunny was inspired by a range of late century tendencies, most particularly Symbolism with its affinity to the life of the imagination. Bunny crafted individualised statements from such influences, in imaginative tableaux which range from magnificent Salon-endorsed mythologies, to vibrant decorative allegories and the Belle Epoque paintings of Parisian leisure for which he is most widely celebrated.

Rupert Bunny: Artist in Paris traces Bunny’s extraordinary life and art, from Melbourne to Paris and back again. Organised by the Art Gallery of New South Wales, this will be the first major exhibition of Bunny’s work since 1991 and includes over one hundred paintings, drawings and monotypes, some of which have never been seen before in Australia. A fully illustrated catalogue accompanies the exhibition and comprehensively addresses all aspects of the artist’s oeuvre.