Collection
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Title
Self portrait
(circa 1895)
About
Rupert Bunny was one of the most successful expatriate Australian artists of his generation, having spent most of his working life in France. He studied at Melbourne's National Gallery School before leaving for England in 1884 and France in 1886, where he remained, apart from short visits home before returning permanently to Melbourne in 1932. Bunny studied under Jean-Paul Laurens (1838-1921) in Paris for two years and was an exhibiting member of the Société des Artistes Francais from 1887. He became a member of the 'new' Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts in 1901 and the Salon d'Automne in 1904. Bunny was a fine draughtsman and colourist who painted rhythmical figure compositions, favouring subjects from mythology, idyllic scenes of leisured life and landscapes of the south of France. Among many works by him in the Gallery's collection is the popular and monumental 'Summer time' c1907, purchased in 1928.
excerpt from Hendrik Kolenberg, Anne Ryan and Patricia James, '19th century Australian watercolours, drawings & pastels in the Gallery's collection', Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 2005
Details
Date
(circa 1895)
Materials used
sanguine on buff wove paper with blue fibre
Dimensions
32.4 x 25.1 cm sheet (irreg.)
Signature & date
Signed l.r. with monogram, sanguine "RB". Not dated.
Credit
Accessioned 2000
Location
Not on display
Accession number
299.2000
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Rupert Bunny
Self portrait
Shown in 5 exhibitions
Exhibition history
The portrait and the nude: Australian drawings from the collection, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 18 Aug 1990–28 Oct 1990
Bodyline, Hazelhurst Regional Gallery and Arts Centre, 03 Feb 2001–08 Apr 2001
Parallel Visions: Twenty-two artists from the Australian collection, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 22 Feb 2002–May 2003
19th century Australian watercolours, drawings & pastels, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 06 Apr 2005–24 Jul 2005
Rupert Bunny: artist in Paris:
- Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney 20 Nov 2009–21 Feb 2010
- Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia, Melbourne 18 Mar 2010–04 Jul 2010
- Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide 23 Jul 2010–04 Oct 2010
Referenced in 6 publications
Bibliography
Jane Clark, Parallel visions: works from the Australian collection, 'Rupert Bunny / E. Phillips Fox', pg. 20-31, Sydney, 2002, 142.
Deborah Edwards, Rupert Bunny: artist in Paris, 'Rupert Bunny: enigma and success', pg. 13-29, Sydney, 2009, 160 (colour illus.), 202 (colour illus.). cabinet 11
R Jope-Slade, The magazine of art, 'An Australian quartette', pg. 390, London, 1895, 390 (illus.).
Hendrik Kolenberg, 19th century Australian watercolours, drawing and pastels from the Gallery's collection, 'Introduction', pg. 6-16, Sydney, 2005, 10, 113 (colour illus.).
The portrait and the nude: Australian drawings from the collection, Sydney, 1990. cat.no. 7
Golden summers: Heidelberg and beyond, Melbourne, 1985, 14 (illus.).