Richard Parkes Bonington

Nationality: British

1802 - 1828

Something of a child prodigy, Bonington started exhibiting paintings at the Liverpool Academy at age 11. In late 1817, his family moved to France, and from 1819 to 1821, he studied under Antoine-Jean Gros at the École des Beaux-Arts, Paris, where he practiced open-air sketching and encountered Achille-Etna Michallon, Eugène Isabey, and probably the young Camille Corot. He exhibited at the Paris Salon for the first time in 1822 and won a gold medal in 1824. He traveled widely though France and, in 1826, journeyed through Switzerland to northern Italy. These trips inspired many watercolors and oils. He was highly productive until his early death at 26.

Place of Birth: Arnold, Nottinghamshire
Place of Death: London

Text written and researched by Amy Marquis Fitzwilliam Museum, University of Cambridge.