Whether beloved pets or superstitious omens, animals have always existed in art, revealing a human obsession with our furred friends and foes. The National Gallery of Victoria’s latest exhibition at the Ian Potter Centre is paying tribute to two of the most beloved animal figures: cats and dogs.
Cats & Dogs draws from the NGV collection and spans eras, cultures, and media. Presented thematically, with dogs on one side and cats on the other, Rembrandt, Goya, and Dürer, sit alongside David Hockney and Jeff Koons. Pierre Bonnard makes an appearance, after the cats in his NGV Winter Masterpieces exhibition were a clear fan favourite; and Australian artists include Claudia Moodoonuthi, Trevor Turbo Brown, Atong Atem, Charles Blackman, Grace Cossington Smith and Nora Heysen.
“People have shared domestic life with cats and dogs for thousands of years,” says NGV director Tony Ellwood AM. “Through more than 200 works from the NGV Collection, this exhibition explores our close-knit relationships with these animals with both critical rigour and a sense of humour. Whether a self-proclaimed dog person or cat lover, there is something for visitors of all inclinations to appreciate and enjoy.”
View, in pictures, the long history of art’s love affair with our domesticated companions.
Elad Lassry, Russian blue 2012, type C photograph, painted frame (34.7 x 27.1 cm) (image) 36.8 x 29.1 x 3.8 cm (frame). National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne Yvonne Pettengell Bequest, 2014 © Elad Lassry and 303 Gallery, New York.
Jeff Koons, Balloon dog (Red) 1995, porcelain 11.3 × 26.3 cm diameter. National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne Gift of Eric Harding and Athol Hawke, 2006 © Jeff Koons.
Atong Atem, Maria of Mars 2022, inkjet print, 148.1 x 98.3 cm. National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne Purchased, Victoria Foundation of Living Australian Artists, 2022 © Atong Atem.
Hulda Guzmán, Daily ceremony 2022, synthetic polymer paint and gouache on Cedar (Cedrus sp.) and Mahogany plywood (Swietenia sp.), 140.6 × 122.0 cm. National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne Purchased with funds donated by an anonymous donor and NGV Foundation, 2023 © Hulda Guzmán.
Pierre Bonnard, Siesta (La Siesta) 1900, oil on canvas 109.0 × 132.0 cm. National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne Felton Bequest, 1949.
Albrecht Dürer, Saint Eustace 1501, engraving. 35.9 × 26.1 cm (image) 36.0 × 26.2 cm (sheet; inlaid onto cream wove sheet 39.6 × 29.9 cm). National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne Felton Bequest, 1949.
Venkat Raman Singh Shyam, The world of the Gonds 2017, synthetic polymer paint on canvas, 125.0 × 91.0 cm. National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne Purchased NGV Foundation, 2019 © Venkat Shyam, courtesy of Minhazz Majumdar.
Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn, Christ at Emmaus: the smaller plate 1634, etching and touches of drypoint, 9.7 × 7.2 cm (image) 10.3 × 7.3 cm (sheet, trimmed to platemark). National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne Felton Bequest, 1958.
Marguerite Mahood, Feline design 1930s, colour linocut, with hand-colouring, 36.0 × 22.5 cm (image and block). National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne Gift of Andrée Fay Harkness through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program, 2020 © MTH Mahood.
Nora Heysen, Cats 1960s, pen and brown ink, 22.2 × 34.7 cm (sheet). National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne Gift of Andrée Fay Harkness through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program, 2020 © Lou Klepac.
Cats & Dogs
The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia
1 November—20 July 2025
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