This publication is aimed at animal-lovers in general and especially those who are fond of cats. The book gives a wide-ranging and detailed presentation of the "feline" exhibits in the Hermitage: Ancient Egyptian bronze, mediaeval European painting, Chinese and Japanese graphic art, Russian lubok prints of the 18th to 20th centuries, cats in the form of fans, toys and much more. The book also contains a unique account of the history of the real-life Hermitage cats that have been employed in the service of the museum for over 260 years.
“It’s official. That thing that classic art has been missing is a chubby reclining kitty.” —The Huffington Post Internet meme meets classical art in Svetlana Petrova’s brilliant Fat Cat Art. Featuring her twenty-two-pound, ginger-colored cat Zarathustra superimposed onto some of the greatest artworks of all time, Petrova’s paintings are an Internet sensation. Now fans will have the ultimate full-color collection of her work, including several never-before-seen pieces, to savor for themselves or to give as a gift to fellow cat lovers. From competing with Venus’s sexy reclining pose (and almost knocking her off her chaise lounge in the process) in Titian’s Venus of Urbino, to exhibiting complete disdain as he skirts away from God’s pointing finger in Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam, Zarathustra single-handedly rewrites art history in the way that only an adorable fat cat can.
Published on the occasion of Manifesta 10, the European Biennial of Contemporary Art in St. Petersburg, Russia, this illustrated volume collects artworks, concepts, and essays that invite the reader to explore the possibilities of contemporary art in deeply historical settings. For the first time, Manifesta is hosted by a museum, uniting the State Heritage Museum's 250th anniversary and Manifesta's twentieth anniversary as a nomadic biennial. This book, which is structured like a classic catologue, reflects the intuitive and playful nature of Kasper Konig's exhibition. Contemporary art stands alongside the historical and cultural heritage of the Hermitage, and many projects create a unique homage to it and to the city of St. Petersburg. New works claim their place in ways that are often subtle and surprising, inviting viewers and readers to grapple with the endless ways in which contemporary art questions, complements, or even dovetails with tradition.
This is a warm and cheerful children's story about a cat that not only is curious but also loves adventure. He lives in Hawaii and meets new friends where ever his travels take him. This tale has a message about friendship that reaches all people and animals alike. They can relate to what the meaning of what the Aloha Spirit is, sharing memories with others and enjoying the simple things in life.
A revised edition of Whitney Chadwick’s seminal work on the women artists who shaped the Surrealist art movement. This pioneering book stands as the most comprehensive treatment of the lives, ideas, and art works of the remarkable group of women who were an essential part of the Surrealist movement. Leonora Carrington, Frida Kahlo, and Dorothea Tanning, among many others, embodied their age as they struggled toward artistic maturity and their own “liberation of the spirit” in the context of the Surrealist revolution. Their stories and achievements are presented here against the background of the turbulent decades of the 1920s, ’30s, and ’40s and the war that forced Surrealism into exile in New York and Mexico. Whitney Chadwick, author of the highly acclaimed Women, Art, and Society, interviewed and corresponded with most of the artists themselves in the course of her research. Women Artists and the Surrealist Movement, now revised with a new foreword by art historian Dawn Ades, contains a wealth of extracts from unpublished writings and numerous illustrations never before reproduced. Since this book was first published, it has acquired the undeniable status of a classic among artists, art historians, critics, and cultural historians. It has inspired and necessitated a revision of the story of the Surrealist movement.
In ancient Egypt, cats were sacred animals, with the goddess Bastet often depicted in cat form, sometimes taking on the war-like aspect of a lioness. The Romans are often credited with introducing the domestic cat from Egypt to Europe. Several ancient religions believed cats are exalted souls, companions or guides for humans, that are all-knowing but mute so they cannot influence decisions made by humans. In Japan, the maneki neko cat is a symbol of good fortune. Their hidden talents and capabilities are spoken of in the secret language of symbols and allegories. It is aimed at everyone who has a soft spot for our four-legged friends and is inclined to think of the cat as much more than just a "domestic animal."
A tribute to the most famous modern Flemish painter. Fabre has created a number of new works especially for this exhibition displaying more than two hundred.Jan Fabre (Antwerp, 1958) is an artist and a director and uses his works to speculate in a loud and tangible manner about life and death, physical and social transformations as well as the nature of cruelty, which is present in both animals and humans. As a grandson of a famous entomologist, Jan Fabre widely uses wildlife aesthetics. He uses beetle shells, animal skeletons and horns as well as stuffed animals and images of animals in various materials. The list of unusual materials goes beyond that and covers blood and BIC blue ink. As emphasized by the painter and acknowledged by critics and researchers, his art goes back to the traditions of classic Flemish art, which he admires: Peter Paul Rubens and Jacob Jordaens are his main inspiration.
