| 1864 |
Rupert Charles Wulsten Bunny was born
on 29 September at St. Kilda, Melbourne, third son
of Victorian Country Court Judge, Brice Bunny, and
Marie Hedwig Dorothea Wulsten. Brice Bunny had come
to Australia during the gold rushes in 1852. After
six unsuccessful months on the Forest Creek diggings
(Castlemaine), he resumed his practice as a barrister
in Melbourne. |
| 1870s |
Rupert Bunny was educated at Hutchins School,
Hobert; in Germany, Switzerland, and at Alma Road
Grammar School in St. Kilda. |
| 1881 |
Although he wanted to become an actor, he was
obliged through family pressure, to study civil
engineering at the University of Melbourne. Through
the influence of Alfred Felton, a family friend,
Bunny abandoned university to study art, joining
the National Gallery School of Design, Melbourne,
under Oswald Rose Campbell. Fellow students included
Frederick McCubbin, Julian Ashton and Emanuel Phillips
Fox. |
| 1882-1883 |
Studied in School of Painting under George Frederick
Folingsby and received a "special mention"
in students exhibition of 1883. |
| 1884 |
To England where he studied at Calderon's art
school in St. John's Wood, a preparatory school
for the Royal Academy, London. |
| 1886 |
Moved to Paris and studied under Jean Paul Laurens. |
| 1887 |
Exhibited with the Royal Institute of Painters
in Watercolou7r, London: 1887-1888. |
| 1888 |
Bunny began exhibiting at the Salon de la Société
des Artistes Francais (Old Salon), Paris: 1888-90
and 1892-1900. |
| 1890 |
Awarded a mention honorable in the Old
Salon exhibition for the painting The Tritons,
purchased by Alfred Felton and now in the Art Gallery
of New South Wales. Bunny was the first Australian
artist to gain this distinction. First exhibited
at the Royal Academy, London: 1890-98, 1902-04,
1906-07 and 1910. |
| 1891 |
Exhibited Sea Idlyll in the Royal Academy,
which was purchased by Alfred Felton and presented
to the National Gallery of Victoria in 1892. It
was the first painting by Bunny to be acquired by
an Australian art gallery. |
| 1893 |
Bunny exhibited widely, in addition to the Old
Salon in Paris and the Royal Academy in London.
This included the Royal Society of British Artists,
London's New Gallery and the Manchester Academy
Autumn Exhibition. His Old Salon painting, The
Pastoral received much acclaim and was
purchased by Baronne Vanffy, wife of the Prime Minister
of Hungary. This painting is now in the Australian
National Gallery, Canberra. |
| 1894 |
Became a member of the Royal Society of British
Artists. |
| 1897 |
Began exhibiting in the Annual Exhbitions (later
International Exhibitions) of the Carnegie Institude,
Pittsburg: 1897, 1899, 1904-09, 1914, 1920 and 1924-25. |
| 1898 |
First solo exhibition, of monotypes at the Fine
Art Society's Galleries, London. |
| 1900 |
Awarded a Bronze Medal for Burial of St. Catherine
of Alexandria in the Exposition Universelle,
Paris. This painting is now in the National Gallery
of Victoria. Became a memeber of the American Art
Association of Paris. |
| 1901 |
Exhibited with the Salon de la Société
Nationale des Beaux-Arts (New Salon), Paris: 1901-14,
1919-26, 1929-32. Showed two paintings in the Victorian
Gold Jubilee Exhibition 1851-1901, Bendigo.
Awarded the gold medal for the best painting. His
work overlooked by Bendigo Art Gallery. |
| 1902 |
Married Jeanne Heloise Morel, a French beauty,
former art student and model who appeared frequently
in Bunny's paintings. Painted portrait of Nellie
Melba, exhibited at the Royal Academy and Autumn
Exhibition of Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool. |
| 1903 |
One-man exhibition, Galerie Silberberg, Paris,
included mythological paintings, landscapes and
portraits. Exhibited in Salon d'Automne, Paris:
1903, 1905, 1909, 1913, 1919-25, 1927 and 1931. |
| 1904 |
Bunny's Aprés le Bain
purchased from the New Salon exhibition by the French
Government for the Musee de Luxembourg, Paris. This
was the highest honour French art could bestow upon
a living artist. Bunny was the first Australian
to receive this honour. Exhibited with Victorian
Artists Socity, Melbourne: 1904, 1911, 1937, 1939,
1940 and 1942-44. Bequeathed an annuity of£100
by Alfred Felton, great benefactor of the National
Gallery of Victoria, and friend of the Bunny family. |
| 1905 |
Membre associe de la Société
Nationale des Beaux-Arts. Sociétaire
du Salon d'Automne. One-man show, Galerie Henry
Graves, Paris, again showing mythological subjects,
landscapes, portraits and figure compositions. |
| 1906 |
Second painting purchased by French government
for Luxembourg collection. Invited to exhibit in
inaugural exhibition of Cercle des Arts, Union
Artistique Internationale, Paris. |
| 1911 |
Exhibition at Baillie Gallery, London, of 103
paintings including northern French landscapes,
coastal scenes and figure compositions. Visited
Australia, with his wife, after an absence of 27
years. Exhibitions at Athenaeum Gallery, Melbourne
and Messrs. Lawson and Little, Sydney. |
| 1912 |
Returned to Paris. Elected at sociétaire
of Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts. |
| 1914-1918 |
World War I. Most Salons and international exhibitions
closed. From 1914 Bunny worked in the American Hospital,
Paris, several paintings of the time recorded the
harrowing scenes. |
| 1917 |
Exhbition at Galeries Georges Petit, Paris of
figure compositions and quiet, domestic scenes. |
| 1921 |
Completed commission of 100 monotypes of mythological
subjects for Galeries Georges Petit and held exhibition
there. |
| 1922 |
While retaining their Paris apartment, Bunny and
his wife lived and worked in a recently acquired
cottage at Les Landes, par Sué vres, Loir
et Cher. His first landscapes of the south of France
date from about 1919-1923 - Le Lavandou. St. Paul
du Var, Bormes - Bunny making many sketching trips
during the following years. Exhibition of mythological
decorations at Galeries Georges Petit, Paris; and
mixed exhibition at Fine Arts Socity's Gallery,
Melbourne. A number of major early Salon paintings
were included in Melbourne exhibition. |
| 1923 |
Exhibition at Anthony Hordern Galleries, Sydney
of same owrks shown in Melbourne the previous year. |
| 1925 |
Exhibition at Anthony Hordern Galleries, Sydney;
61 paintings mainly landscapes of the south of France. |
| 1926 |
Bunny visited Australia and exhibited at New Gallery,
Melbourne; included many of the landscapes shown
in Sydney the previous year. Painted at "Tintaldra"
on the Upper Murray. |
| 1927 |
Athenaeum Gallery, Melbourne exhibition of Australian
and French landscapes and several portraits. Exhibited
with Twenty Melbourne Painters, Melbourne:
1927-28, 1932, 1934-41. Returned to Paris in July. |
| 1928 |
To Australia in April for exhibitions at Athenaeum
Gallery, Melbourne, and Anthony Hordern Gallery,
Sydney of earlier Salon paintings, religious subjects
and portraits covering the previous twenty years.
Returned to France with Australian painter, Robert
Campbell. |
| 1929 |
Exhibited mainly landscapes of the south of France
at Galeries Georges Petit, Paris. Painted with Robert
Campbell at Bandol. |
| 1930 |
London exhibition at Twenty One Gallery. Painted
landscapes with Robert Campbell at Sanary, Toulon
and Bandol. Bunny's wife suffered a severe stroke. |
| 1932 |
Returned to Australia with intention of establishing
himself and then bringing his wife out to tsettle
in Melbourne. Began an art school withJohn Monroe.
One of Bunny's students was Arthur Lindsay, who
later settled in Castlemaine. Painted series of
Melbourne Botanical Gardens pictures. |
| 1933 |
Exhibition of monotypes at Everyman's Library,
Melbourne. Returned to France on death of his wife
there in April, aged 61. Exhibition of mainly botanical
gardens subjects, Australian landscapes and portraits
at Athenaeum Gallery, Melbourne. Bunny returned
to Melbourne and settled in a flat at 147 Toorak
Road, South Yarra. |
| 1934 |
Exhibited with Contemporary Art Group
Melbourne; 1934-37. |
| 1936 |
Exhibition at Hogan's Art Gallery, Melbourne,
included early Brittany landscapes, later landscapes
of the south of France, and important later mythological
paintings. Moved to 43 Toorak Road, South Yarra. |
| 1937 |
Exhibitions at Hogan's Art Gallery, Melbourne
in April and September included many landscapes
of the south of France and flower paintings. |
| 1938 |
Became first Artist Vice-President of the newly
established Contemporary Art Society, Melbourne.
Included in 150 Years of Australian Art,
Sydney. Exhibition with Hogan's Art Gallery, Melbourne,
again included south of France landscapes. |
| 1939 |
Exhibited in inaugural Contemporary Art Society
exhibition, Melbourne. First one-man show with Macquarie
Galleries, Sydney of mainly south of France landscapes. |
| 1940 |
Exhibition at Macquarie Galleries, Sydney, of
mythological paintings and south of France landscapes.
Opened by the artists, Roland Wakelin. |
| 1941 |
Early north and later south of France landscapes
and monotypes exhibited at Macquarie Galleries,
Sydney. Opened by the artist, Lloyd Rees. |
| 1942 |
Exhibition at Macquarie Galleries, Sydney of landscapes,
flower paintings and monotypes. |
| 1943 |
Exhibition at Macquarie Galleries, Sydney of 25
works of south of France landscapes, flower paintings
and monotypes. |
| 1944 |
Macquarie Galleries, Sydney exhibition of 15 south
of France landscapes and 3 flower paintings. |
| 1945 |
Two separate but interrelated exhibitions at Macquarie
Galleries, Sydney provide small retrospective view
of Bunny's art: Landscape and Flower Paintings
and Earlier Paintings. Exhibited with
Melbourne Contemporary Artists included
Russel Drysdale, Ola Cohn, George Bell, Jeffrey
Smart and Alan Sumner. |
| 1946 |
Retrospective exhibition at National Gallery of
Victoria of 86 paintings, 6 "colour notes"
and 2 drawings covering the period from about 1893
to 1940s. Organised by Daryl Lindsay. First such
exhibition by this institution to honour a living
Australian artist. Small exhibition at Macquarie
Galleries. |
| 1947 |
Rupert Bunny died on 25th May, aged 82. |
Artists
Represented
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