“What a pleasure to have this essential document of art history
available in an up-to-date translation. Anna Klumpke’s biography of
Rosa Bonheur is, of course, not only an important art-historical
document, but a major contribution to the social history of
nineteenth-century France and a moving testimony to human
attachment as well.” — Linda Nochlin
“The remarkable life of Rosa Bonheur, one of the most highly
decorated artists and certainly the best known female artist of her
time in nineteenth-century France, is long overdue for further
scrutiny.” — Therese Dolan, Temple University
“... tells the fascinating, unconventional story of the famous
19th-century French artist. Written by Bonheur’s lover, American
artist Anna Klumpke, with input from Bonheur herself, the biography
effectively shows Bonheur’s devotion to the great loves of her
life: her mother, her art, and her female companions.” — Washington
Blade
“A cigar-smoking, cross-dressing eccentric à la George Sand, Rosa
Bonheur was one of the 19th century’s most popular artists...
Drawing on her own meticulous journal entries as well as Bonheur’s
letters, sketches, and diaries, Klumpke traces Bonheur’s
trailblazing life and recounts how she met Bonheur, fell in love
and became her official portraitist, companion and sole heir.” —
Publishers Weekly
“It is a treat to have Rosa Bonheur: The Artist’s
(Auto)biography... available in English. Bonheur (1822-1899), a
lesbian born in France, channeled her formidable talent into
painting animals, lived a highly unconventional life, and received
special permission to wear pants in public... This combination
autobiography and biography, originally published in 1908, includes
a vibrant introduction by the translator.” — Feminist Bookstore
News
“Each part of the story — translator’s, Klumpke’s, and Bonheur’s —
is so engagingly written that reading it is like an adventure with
an emphasis on the development and support of female creativity...
Anna Klumpke poured her love into magnificent portraits of Bonheur
and later into writing and managing Bonheur’s estate. Translator
Gretchen van Slyke has rendered the original French into graceful,
compelling prose. After finishing this book, my strongest emotion
was gratitude for having been allowed to see so intimately into the
lives of these productive, caring women.” — Lambda Book Report
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