Madeleine Bunbury: Modern Classic

Oct 12, 2025 - Mar 1, 2026

Madeleine Bunbury: Modern Classic will be on view in the Library's Founders' Room, with a special reception on October 9, 2025, from 6 to 8 pm. This highly anticipated event will celebrate the work of renowned equine portraitist Madeleine Bunbury, whose paintings will be on view and available for purchase through March 1, 2026. The exhibition will include eight of Bunbury’s paintings for purchase and five on loan from private lenders. A portion of the proceeds from sales will benefit the NSLM.

Now in her third year as NSLM’s artist in residence, Bunbury brings a timeless approach to equestrian art, painting her subjects life-size, from life, and in natural light—using hand-ground paints and hand-stretched canvases.

“I concentrate on painting horses life-size in a traditional style, from life, using my own hand-ground paints and hand-stretched canvases,” says Bunbury. “I feel this style helps me to achieve an expressive representation which is unparalleled by modern photo-realistic paintings.”

Born in 1995 on Mustique Island and trained at the prestigious Charles Cecil Studios in Florence, Bunbury studied traditional portraiture and mastered the classical "sight size" technique. Her skill in capturing not only the physical form but also the essence of each horse has gained her an international following, with recent commissions across the U.K., the United States, and Italy.

In conjunction with the opening, Bunbury will also lead a Horse Painting from Life class on October 10 in the Founders’ Room, working with a live equine model. This unique opportunity will offer attendees insight into her classical techniques and approach to equestrian portraiture.