At the New-York Historical Society, a new exhibition chronicles the lives of pets and their owners since the 18th century.
Animals
Posted inArt
Did Art History Predict the Rise of Moo Deng?
Just as memes of the viral hippo range from sweet to spooky, art history is rich with terrifying, adorable, and bizarre depictions of the amphibious creatures.
Posted inNews
Return of Rare Lizard Specimen to Jamaica Renews Repatriation Debates
The giant galliwasp Celeste’s long-awaited homecoming has stirred wider conversations about the recovery of cultural and natural heritage in the Caribbean.
Posted inBooks
How Big Cats Once Symbolized France’s Colonialist Ambitions
Myth and Menagerie urges us to view lions as sentient beings and not as timeless, passive objects of representation for 19th-century French artists.
Posted inArt
A Mid-Century Painter Showed a World Out of Kilter
In the Luigi Zuccheri’s pastoral scenes, a menagerie of oversized creatures, plants, fruits, and vegetables dwarf the humans with whom they share the canvas.
Posted inArt
These Are Some of the Earliest Pet Photographs
A History of Photography (Through Pets) tracks the development of photography through images of our furry companions.
Posted inArt
What’s With Those Hilarious Medieval Portrayals of Animals?
We asked two scholars about the strange depictions of fauna and why they’ve become a viral phenomenon.
Posted inArt
What is This? Artwork for Ants?
“Our culture is far richer with the inclusion of other life forms,” says Catherine Chalmers, an artist who collaborates with a collective of wild ants to create tiny, Abstract Expressionist “Antworks.”
Posted inArt
The Sheer Love and Joy of Alice Neel’s Pet Portraits
Cats, dogs, and a parrot with a personality are among the works on view in Alice Neel: Feels Like Home at the Orange County Museum of Art.
Posted inArt
An Exhibition of Cat Art Worthy of a Meowseum
A new show at the Queens gallery Mrs. proves that dogs may be man’s best friends, but cats are humans’ idols.
Posted inArt
Otters Are Art History’s Unsung Muses
From ancient times to the present day, join us as we pay tribute to these otter-ly charismatic creatures in various visual media.
Posted inNews
Bird Photographer of the Year Winners Capture Feathered Wonders
This year’s awardees portray the majestic beauty of our winged friends and highlight the urgency of conservation efforts.