European

Isidore-Jules Bonheur

France 1827-1901
Le Jockey a Cheval (Jockey on Horse) 84.0008

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Horse racing was popularized in the 19th century in Paris by the establishment in 1857 of a track at Longchamp at the newly refurbished pleasure park, the Bois de Boulogne. The track was a huge success even though races were only held in the spring and fall. Several French horseracing clubs were established by prominent industrialists during this period, the most prestigious being The Jockey Club. A French horse won both the Grand Prix and Epsom in both 1864 and 1865. Isidore-Jules is often overshadowed by his older sister Rosa, one of the nineteenth century's most acclaimed painters. All four children in the family, two girls and two boys, were trained by their father, Raymond, a successful painter and teacher. Isidore-Jules later continued his studies in Paris at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. He exhibited for the first time in 1848 at the Paris Salon, entering a painting and a plaster sculpture of an African on horseback attacked by a lion. His success as a sculpteur animalier continued throughout his career, garnering national recognition during his life time. After Rosa's death in 1899, Isidore-Jules was commissioned to fashion a memorial monument at Fontainebleau dedicated to her.

 

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