Cat Loving Artists

Pablo Picasso and his cat, taken by painter Carlos Nadal at Vallauris 1954.
The previously unknown photo was donated by his son
Alejandro Nadal to the Museu Picasso Barcelona in 2010.

What do Emily Barto, Pablo Picasso, Louis Wain and Andy Warhol all have in common? They all loved their cats.

If you love art, artists and cats too, you'll likely enjoy these features about well known artists and their cats.

Mary Savig, the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art's curator of manuscripts, recently dug through the institution's collection and published Artful Cats, a collection of artists with their cats. Highlights and endearing examples were featured by Artsy in These Smithsonian Archival Photos Show Famous Artists with Their Cats. I was particularly taken with the photographs of Hedda Sterne (outside and gazing skyward with Poussin), Frank Stella in his studio (reclining with Marisol), Beatrice Wood at her pottery wheel observed by one of her Manx cats (so that would be Miro or Matisse), and Emily Barto at work on her mural Animal Tales (with her cat appearing to eye the mouse in the painting). Other artists pictured with their in the article are Carl Fischer, Gertrude Abercrombie, Berenice Abbott, Marcel Breuer, Maria de Conceição (Sao) and Anne Arnold. Jay DeFeo's cat Pooh Bear is pictured, sans artist.

Author Alison Nastasi previously explored the subject in her publication Artists and Their Cats. In Famous Artists and Their Cats - A Feline Inspiration, Nastasi provides interesting perspectives in an interview. The piece includes stunning photographs capturing John Cage, Philip Burne Jones, Florence Henri, and Jean-Michel Basquiat with their cats. The article also includes Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, Henri Matisse and Georgia O’Keeffe with their cats.

In 9 Iconic Artists Who Loved Cats, the Purrington Post examines the artist-cat relationships (along with photos) of Gustav Klimt (with Katze), Henri Matisse (with one of his cats, so Minouche, Coussi or Le Puce), Salvador Dali (with his ocelot, Babou), Georgie O'Keeffe (with Siamese), Pierre Bonnard (with Cat), Louis Wain (with Peter), Andy Warhol (with one of his 25 cats named Sam), Pablo Picasso (with Minou), and Wassily Kandinsky (with Vaske).

Another short feature, MEOW! Artists and Their Cats, contains brilliant photographs of Saul Steinberg (the cat cartoonist, communing with a cat), Henri Matisse (working in bed with one of his cats), and Margaret Bourke-White (the Life photographer with Darien).


To learn more
Stroke of genius: why do artists love cats? - The Guardian
The Story behind the Surreal Photograph of Salvador Dalí and Three Flying Cats - Artsy
Andy Warhol’s Greatest Love: Cats - Artsy
A Donation to the Picasso. With a Cat. - Museu Picasso Barcelona
The Colorful, Dancing, Psychedelic Cats of Louis Wain - Artsy
Carolee Schneemann’s Lifelong Love Affair with Her Cats - Artsy
L.A. Artist Allison Schulnik Talks Cats, Claymation, and Her Creative Process - Artsy
Almost Famous Cats - blog with 5000+ photos of famous people with cats
An art expert says his cat destroyed a painting worth $6,714 - This is Insider
One of the Hermitage Museum’s cats is set to predict the winner of Sunday’s World Cup final between France and Croatia - Artsy
2 cats are determined to get inside an art museum in Japan, and the internet is rooting for them - This is Insider
Patrick Lichty’s Random Internet Cats Question a Sensible Way of Life - Artsy


More from arttravelbug
Birth of Venus Causes Case of Stendhal's Syndrome
Artful Stay: Hôtel Les Roches Rouges
Return of the Ruby Slippers
Honouring Magritte
Venice: Guggenheim Backstory

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