Art and aperitifs create a fun, virtual experience with Shelburne Museum

Shelburne Museum Associate Curator Carolyn Bauer introduces the life and work of painter Rosa Bonheur during Curators and Conversation on July 8. Courtesy photo.

A night of art and rosé sangria was virtually provided by Shelburne Museum through its Curators and Conversation series on July 8.

Caitlin Khan of Prohibition Pig restaurant and brewery showed everyone how to make a rosé sangria before turning the event over to Carolyn Bauer, Associate Curator at Shelburne Museum. She spoke about the life of 19th century painter Rosa Bonheur.

“In the Shelburne Museum we have two beautiful paintings by this artist in our permanent collection and I get really excited at any chance to share these paintings and this powerhouse a woman at any occasion,” Bauer said.

Bauer said she had grown up knowing Bonheur’s name, but she never studied her in depth.

“But as a feminst and an art historian scholar that reads through a feminist lens and interprets, a lot of material through that gaze, she’s long appealed to me,” Bauer said.

In the 19th century, female painters were not as widely accepted as their male counterparts.

“In 1857, the Goku brothers, a gossipy pair of late 19th century French writers, known for launching the modern-day genre of malicious celebrity gossip, wrote a scathing bigoted statement saying, ‘genius is male,’” Bauer said.

Bonheur rejected feminine traditions and conventions and rose to fame with her animal paintings, like The Horse Fair.

“On top of creating a successful career, Bonheur famously lived with a woman and she dared to receive official permits from the French police to dress like a man for her work,” Bauer said.

The Shelburne Museum has two Bonheur works, Sheep and Foraging Forest: Wild Boars and Fontainebleau Forest. Bonheur also made dolls, but Bauer does not believe that the doll Shelburne Museum has is by Bonheur.

Members were able to ask questions over Zoom for Bauer after she finished her presentation on Bonheur.

The next Curators and Conversation took place Wednesday, with Katie Wood Kirchhoff, Associate Curator at Shelburne Museum. Citizen Cider handled the drink how-to.

The series is available to Shelburne Museum members.