A Sneak Peek Into A Book Featuring 50 Famous Artists And Their Beloved Cats
Some artists are known for their bold colors, strange habits, or larger-than-life personalities, and many of them also happened to share their lives with cats. Alison Nastasi’s Artists and Their Cats gathers those stories into one charming collection, pairing more than 50 legendary artists with the felines that followed them through studios, homes, and daily routines.
Salvador Dalí and his Colombian ocelot, Babou, even make the cover, which feels fitting for an artist who never did anything in a predictable way. The book also looks at names like Andy Warhol, Frida Kahlo, and Pablo Picasso, showing how cats became constant companions for creative people across generations.
Now a handful of those artist-and-cat pairings are getting a closer look. Read on.
Artists and Their Cats, as inspected by a cat
1. John Cage
2. Georgia O’Keeffe
A few of the book’s most recognizable names are up first.
3. Herbert Tobias
4. Henri Matisse
5. Maya Lin
6. Pablo Picasso
Picasso lived with many cats throughout his life. So it's no surprise he portrayed them in many of his paintings, like Woman with Cat (1900) and Chat et homard (Cat and Lobster, 1965).
It only gets more interesting from here.
This pairs well with comics where an artist blends sarcasm with his adopted cat’s attitude.
7. Andy Warhol
Warhol published a book of cat drawings titled 25 Cats Name Sam and One Blue Pussy.
8. Jean-Michel Basquiat
9. Ai Weiwei
Contemporary artist Ai Weiwei has more than 40 cats living at his Beijing studio. He trades a safe home for pictures that he likes to share on his social media.
In 2006, the artist shared more about his connection with his four-legged companions in one of his blog posts: “The cats and dogs in my home enjoy high status; they seem more like the lords of the manor than I do,” he wrote. “The poses they strike in the courtyard often inspire more joy in me than the house itself. Their self-important positions seem to be saying, ‘This is my territory,’ and that makes me happy.”
Artists and Their Cats
Salvador Dalí, the famous surrealist artist, graces the book’s cover with his gorgeous and deeply treasured Colombian ocelot, Babou. Never one to do something “typical,” Dalí acquired Babou in the 1960s and would bring him along almost everywhere, on a leash attached to a studded collar.
You can find out more about Alison Nastasi’s book, Artists and Their Cats, and her other collections on her website, where they also provide links to where you can purchase the book to see all 50+ artists with their cherished kitties. You can follow Nastasi on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
In the meantime, drop a comment below with your favorite cat and artist duo, and share this with another cat lover.
Want more cat chaos like giant felines dropped into everyday life, check out this surreal photo adventure.
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