See How History's Great Artists Painted Their Dogs
MARCH 28, 2023
A new exhibition showcases portraits of pets by the likes of Leonardo da Vinci and David Hockney
David Hockney's Dog Painting 19 (1995) © David Hockney / Richard Schmidt Collection / The David Hockney Foundation
Christopher Parker
Daily Correspondent
Plenty of exhibitions focus on humanitys foundational relationships: humans and nature, humans and God, humans and each other.
But what about humans and their most loyal companions?
Opening tomorrow at Londons Wallace Collection, Portraits of Dogs: From Gainsborough to Hockney traces the relationship between artists and their pet canines throughout history. After years of pandemic delays, museum officials say they are now prepared and excited to share the unique collection with the world.
The way that our relationship with dogsthat unexplainable, loving bondtransgresses into art history is fascinating, and a greater reflection of society, Xavier Bray, the exhibitions curator, tells BBC Cultures Matthew Wilson.
Leonardo da Vinci's Studies of a Dog's Paw (verso) (circa 149095) National Galleries of Scotland / Purchased by Private Treaty Sale with the aid of the Art Fund 1991 / © National Galleries of Scotland
Edwin Landseer's Queen Victoria's Spaniel Tilco (1838) Anglesey Abbey / © National Trust
More:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/dog-portraits-wallace-collection-london-180981889/