MADELEINE BUNBURY EQUINE ART. SOLO EXHIBITION OCTOBER 12th till 28th AT THE OSBORNE STUDIO GALLERY
NEWEST PROJECTS INCLUDE PRESTIGIOUS COMMISSION FROM MAHARAJAH OF JAIPUR, ADVENTURE TRAVEL IN ARGENTINA, PAINTING ROYAL CEREMONIAL HORSE S OF HOUSEHOLD CAVALRY MOUNTED REGIMENT
Private commissions for owners, breeders, trainers, of hunters, racing thoroughbreds and horses for riding
And an ambition of her own: to paint 80 different breeds from around the world
Gin, Oil on Canvas, 46 x 46cm
Madeleine Bunbury, (born 1997) is a travelling equestrian portrait painter, classically trained in Florence; available for private commissions anywhere in the world she paints life size horses, directly from life, under a natural north light. She does not use photographs, but devised her own creative process to keep her subjects comfortable during the hours of posing ‘Sometimes 1 have to whisper to them a little’ A portrait can take as many as ten sessions. Many of her connoisseur patrons have described her as a ‘modern-day George Stubbs.’
She is travelling around the world on a personal quest to paint life-sized portraits of eighty different breeds, from Western Mustang to Austrian Lipizzaner, silken thoroughbred to scruffy little pony with a twinkle. Planning ahead, her next project, in November will be capturing the individual character of a Quarter Horse, in Texas.
‘My journeys have taken me from Virginia hunt country to Renaissance stable yards in Italy to the rolling plains of Argentina and the palaces and polo fields of India.
This year she received a dream commission from the Maharaja of Jaipur to paint his favourite polo ponies in the City Palace. Rajasthan. She spent two weeks at Los Potreros, a residential ranch in Cordoba, Argentina, to record Gaucho equestrian culture, enjoyed royal hospitality from the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment while studying one of their finest horses, Falkland, .
This ceremonial horse, known as ‘cav black’ is described in Madeleine’s notes as ‘huge Irish draught cross thoroughbred’. We marvelled at the disciplined grace of Life Guards and Blues and Royals during the Royal funeral processions of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second.
For Madeleine’s daily two hour painting sessions, in the stables of Knightsbridge Barracks, a small army of soldiers was employed to groom Falkland and saddle him in the smartest ‘state tack’ resplendent red blanket (shabraque) and gold braid, known as ‘battle honours.’
Her London exhibition includes smaller works, full size portraits, heads of horses, playful sketches and horses with their owners, at the Osborne Studio Gallery.
I concentrate on painting horses life-size, from life, using my own hand ground paints, and hand stretched canvases. I feel that this style helps me to achieve an honest insight into what makes each of them so individual and characterful. My reason for painting is my adoration of horses.’
MADELEINE BUNBURY’S MOST GLAMOROUS ADVENTURE, DREAM COMMISSION FROM THE MAHARAJAH OF JAIPUR
Padmanabh ‘Pacho’ Singh, often called ‘Royal Monarch of Jaipur’ is one of the world’s finest polo players, studied history of art in Rome, enjoys designer clothes, joins William, Prince of Wales and Harry, Duke of Sussex for polo matches at Guards Polo Club. Madeleine has painted life size portraits of their favourite ponies.
Pacho’a friend and mentor, with a lifelong interest in contemporary art, is the son of Colonel Bhawani Singh, former Commandant of the 61st Cavalry, and coach to the Indian World Cup polo team.
In his own words: ‘My family has an equine tradition, and I have been following close to a hundred artists globally since 2019. Looking at their quality of work, their audience, value, and potential value, Madeleine Bunbury topped every metric over this period of research. A dear friend even called her a ‘modern day George Stubbs’ Madeleine won approval as someone who could ‘fit the culture and environment of Jaipur.’
It was decided to invite her to come to Jaipur for a few commissions. She would stay in City Palace private polo yard. Four portraits were completed to include Music; one of the Maharajahs’s best performing ponies, a bay with one white sock on a hind leg.
Her visit was planned to coincide with the Spring Festival of Holi, on March 18th this year. Madeleine tells a story of tireless Indian and European guests partying with more enthusiasm than she had ever known in her own birthplace, the ‘party island’ of Mustique. She had to combine intense concentration on her painting by day and join the all night fun in a palace decorated with thousands of marigold petals.
Dhruv Raj Singh concludes his account of her stay, and reasons for his choice, with gratitude for Madeleine Bunbury’s generous gift of three paintings. ‘She has quite literally become part of the family, it was a rewarding experience, and we welcome her return.’
