Remarkable Women in the History of Art: Rosa Bonheur

Monika Lind is coming to the Museum & Art Gallery in Worthing on Thursday 19 November for a talk on Rosa Bonheur, the 19th-century French painter. It's part of the museum's Remarkable Women in the History of Art series, so if you've been following the other talks in the run, this is the next one to keep on your radar.

Bonheur is a great starting point if you're not already familiar with her. She was one of the most successful and influential painters of her time, and she made her name with powerful, detailed depictions of rural French life. Her animal studies, in particular, remain some of the most celebrated works of the period. It's a bit of a feat when you consider the era she worked in: very few women could pursue professional artistic careers back then, and she built her reputation and her living on her own terms.

She ended up becoming the first woman to be awarded the Légion d'honneur, France's highest honour, which brought her both critical acclaim and financial independence. But there's more to her than just the painting. Her unconventional lifestyle, her fierce independence and her passion for animals made her a radical figure in art history, and that's a good part of what the talk will cover.

Monika Lind, a retired university lecturer in Culture and Humanities Studies, will be leading the session. It runs for two hours, starting at 2:00pm on Thursday 19 November at the Museum & Art Gallery. Tickets start from £10, with a £0.75 transaction fee on top.