Animal

Animals are often featured in news, sometimes in heartwarming tales of human and animal companionship and other times in heartbreaking stories of illegal trade and endangered species. Animals are even present in social sciences, especially thank to  ethology (behavioural sciences of animals in their natural habitat). They have fascinated philosophers from Antiquity all the way through to today and they are even present in the medical realm, as the benefits of animal-assisted therapies have been scientifically proven. 

The relationship between humans and animals is also taken into account in the politics, most notably when debating topics related to ecology, the protection of ecosystems and sustainable development. Thus, animals might be seen as a crucial indicator of humanity's concerns. 

As well in these many sectors, animals are also very much present in the arts. A number of art museums have decided exhibitions to animals including the Cluny Museum in Paris and MoMA PS1 in New York. Whether simply a humble spectator in an 18th century painting or the central subject of a Courbet painting, animals are present throughout the history of art. From symbolic, to esthetic, to abstract, to animal drawings meant to simply record their appearance...all these representations have played a role in influencing artists and also how we characterise and think of individual animals.

Each civilisation has represented the animal on multiples supports (mosaics, metal, stone, bones, etc.) as seen on the Nerja cave wall paintings in Andalusia discovered in 1925. Animal iconography has had multiple purposes, varying according to the era and place. Bats, for example, are often used to represent death, fear or superstition in Western art, whereas the Chinese see them as a sign of happiness. The omnipresence of animals within cultures across the globe is probably down to the similarities between men and animal, a source of both fascination and fear. 

In this selection, Artsper helps you to discover the beauty of the animal kingdom, its diversity, strength and fragility. Artists depict animals in a huge range of mediums: sculpture, painting, photographs, and drawings. Contemporary artists bring an original and poetic vision to their representations of the animals with whom we share our world.

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Print, Untitled, Roberto Ortuno

Roberto Ortuno

Print . 99.5 x 75 x 0.1 cm Print . 39.2 x 29.5 x 0 inch

CHF 875

Print, Les Mutantes, Leonor Fini

Leonor Fini

Print . 50.5 x 75.5 x 0.1 cm Print . 19.9 x 29.7 x 0 inch

CHF 1,837

Print, Heron, Gregorio Sciltian

Gregorio Sciltian

Print . 50 x 70 x 1 cm Print . 19.7 x 27.6 x 0.4 inch

CHF 253

Print, Our Nest, Sarolta Bán

Sarolta Bán

Print . 150 x 100 x 0.2 cm Print . 59.1 x 39.4 x 0.1 inch

CHF 1,156

Design, Lampe oiseau, Isabelle Healy

Isabelle Healy

Design . 50 x 30 x 15 cm Design . 19.7 x 11.8 x 5.9 inch

CHF 2,429

Print, Paint Fiend, Lady Pink

Lady Pink

Print . 43 x 43 x 2 cm Print . 16.9 x 16.9 x 0.8 inch

CHF 923

Print, Somewhere, James Rosenquist

James Rosenquist

Print . 86 x 83 x 0.3 cm Print . 33.9 x 32.7 x 0.1 inch

CHF 1,458

Print, Night Owl, Morten Schelde

Morten Schelde

Print . 56.5 x 45 cm Print . 22.2 x 17.7 inch

CHF 316

Print, Le Coq (1), Chahab ...

Chahab ...

Print . 57 x 76 x 0.5 cm Print . 22.4 x 29.9 x 0.2 inch

CHF 292

Print, Embrosos, Ceet Fouad

Ceet Fouad

Print . 47 x 47 x 2 cm Print . 18.5 x 18.5 x 0.8 inch

CHF 1,749

Print, Paris, M.Chat

M.Chat

Print . 70 x 50 cm Print . 27.6 x 19.7 inch

CHF 573

Design, Swan, Richard Orlinski

Richard Orlinski

Design . 13 x 8 x 12 cm Design . 5.1 x 3.1 x 4.7 inch

CHF 384

Print, Duello Equestre, Bruno Landi

Bruno Landi

Print . 60 x 80 x 0.3 cm Print . 23.6 x 31.5 x 0.1 inch

CHF 245 CHF 209

Print, Oursin, Guillermo Olguin

Guillermo Olguin

Print . 90.5 x 61.5 cm Print . 35.6 x 24.2 inch

CHF 865

Print, Anaconda II, Hunt Slonem

Hunt Slonem

Print . 76.2 x 55.9 cm Print . 30 x 22 inch

CHF 668

Print, Bear Polar, Ladamenrouge

Ladamenrouge

Print . 40 x 30 x 0.1 cm Print . 15.7 x 11.8 x 0 inch

CHF 189

Print, Red Glove, Mariko Ando

Mariko Ando

Print . 22.9 x 11.4 cm Print . 9 x 4.5 inch

CHF 333

Design, Red bear, Artwhos

Artwhos

Design . 80 x 18 x 2 cm Design . 31.5 x 7.1 x 0.8 inch

CHF 865

Design, Rhino, Richard Orlinski

Richard Orlinski

Design . 11 x 5 x 15 cm Design . 4.3 x 2 x 5.9 inch

CHF 418

Print, Noise, Ravi Zupa

Ravi Zupa

Print . 61 x 46 x 0.1 cm Print . 24 x 18.1 x 0 inch

CHF 146

Print, Aline, Christophe Blain

Christophe Blain

Print . 160 x 120 x 0.1 cm Print . 63 x 47.2 x 0 inch

CHF 2,332

Print, Flamingo, Asko

Asko

Print . 150 x 100 x 3 cm Print . 59.1 x 39.4 x 1.2 inch

CHF 1,263

Print, Owls, Swoon

Swoon

Print . 48.26 x 43.18 x 0.1 cm Print . 19 x 17 x 0 inch

CHF 1,166

Print, Relinquished, Roger Ballen

Roger Ballen

Print . 90 x 90 x 0.2 cm Print . 35.4 x 35.4 x 0.1 inch

CHF 13,605

Print, Bananappetit, Mr Brainwash

Mr Brainwash

Print . 96.5 x 96.5 x 0.1 cm Print . 38 x 38 x 0 inch

CHF 3,790

Print, Blue Leo, Mosko

Mosko

Print . 45 x 45 x 0.01 cm Print . 17.7 x 17.7 x 0 inch

CHF 146

Print, Italian Resistance, ArtRat

ArtRat

Print . 70 x 50 x 0.2 cm Print . 27.6 x 19.7 x 0.1 inch

CHF 364

Print, St, Pablo Picasso

St

Pablo Picasso

Print . 32 x 39 x 0.5 cm Print . 12.6 x 15.4 x 0.2 inch

CHF 437

Print, Lady bird, Guy Allen

Guy Allen

Print . 45 x 45 cm Print . 17.7 x 17.7 inch

CHF 531

Print, One love, Paola Pivi

Paola Pivi

Print . 50 x 70 cm Print . 19.7 x 27.6 inch

CHF 350

Print, Lion in Bowl, Mario Avati

Mario Avati

Print . 5 x 6.5 x 0.1 cm Print . 2 x 2.6 x 0 inch

CHF 292

Design, Chat/Cat, Jean Cocteau

Jean Cocteau

Design . 6 x 7 x 1 cm Design . 2.4 x 2.8 x 0.4 inch

CHF 573 CHF 516