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, Balance, Irena Aizen

Irena Aizen

Print - 25.5 x 22.5 x 1 cm Print - 10 x 8.9 x 0.4 inch

$793

Print, Sans-titre, Max Ernst

Max Ernst

Print - 38 x 28 cm Print - 15 x 11 inch

$795

Print, Paris verte, M.Chat

M.Chat

Print - 44 x 35 cm Print - 17.3 x 13.8 inch

$428

Sculpture, La Possédée, André Masson

André Masson

Sculpture - 38 x 42 x 18 cm Sculpture - 15 x 16.5 x 7.1 inch

$39,157

Painting, Jungle, Daria Borisova

Daria Borisova

Painting - 92 x 61 x 2 cm Painting - 36.2 x 24 x 0.8 inch

$2,370

Print, Lory, James Jean

James Jean

Print - 35.6 x 28 x 0.2 cm Print - 14 x 11 x 0.1 inch

$2,447

Print, Mai Aqui !?, Robert Combas

Robert Combas

Print - 75 x 102 x 0.5 cm Print - 29.5 x 40.2 x 0.2 inch

$6,730

Painting, Promenade en Barque, M.Chat

M.Chat

Painting - 50 x 65 x 2.5 cm Painting - 19.7 x 25.6 x 1 inch

$6,363

Sculpture, Le curieux, Clément Covizzi

Clément Covizzi

Sculpture - 27 x 29 x 27 cm Sculpture - 10.6 x 11.4 x 10.6 inch

$1,774

Sculpture, Buffle noir, William Byl

William Byl

Sculpture - 37.5 x 40 x 10 cm Sculpture - 14.8 x 15.7 x 3.9 inch

$2,435

Painting, Purple life, Mosko

Mosko

Painting - 20 x 20 x 3 cm Painting - 7.9 x 7.9 x 1.2 inch

$551

Print, The dog, Takeru Amano

Takeru Amano

Print - 69 x 69 cm Print - 27.2 x 27.2 inch

$1,468

Painting, Essence, Nathalie Thengius

Nathalie Thengius

Painting - 25 x 25 x 4 cm Painting - 9.8 x 9.8 x 1.6 inch

$734

Painting, Robe noir, Barbara Goldmann

Barbara Goldmann

Painting - 76 x 56 x 0.5 cm Painting - 29.9 x 22 x 0.2 inch

$1,468

Sculpture, Piaf Pikachu, Valerie Marty

Valerie Marty

Sculpture - 21 x 12 x 12 cm Sculpture - 8.3 x 4.7 x 4.7 inch

$918

Painting, Fleur(s) bleu(es), M.Chat

M.Chat

Painting - 70 x 50 x 1 cm Painting - 27.6 x 19.7 x 0.4 inch

$4,283

Sculpture, L'éléphant, Pierre Gimenez

Pierre Gimenez

Sculpture - 30 x 34 x 10 cm Sculpture - 11.8 x 13.4 x 3.9 inch

$2,692

Painting, The Giant, Alexander Levich

Alexander Levich

Painting - 20 x 30 x 3.5 cm Painting - 7.9 x 11.8 x 1.4 inch

$918

Sculpture, Funny doggy, Patrick Cornée

Patrick Cornée

Sculpture - 36 x 35 x 15 cm Sculpture - 14.2 x 13.8 x 5.9 inch

$2,325 $2,092

Painting, Stoulgram, Stoul

Stoul

Painting - 50 x 40 x 1 cm Painting - 19.7 x 15.7 x 0.4 inch

$918

Painting, Carpes Koïs, Hervé Maury

Hervé Maury

Painting - 50 x 50 x 3 cm Painting - 19.7 x 19.7 x 1.2 inch

$979 $881

Painting, Dinner, Sargis Zaqaryan

Sargis Zaqaryan

Painting - 50 x 40 x 2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 15.7 x 0.8 inch

$593

Print, The King, Blek Le Rat

Blek Le Rat

Print - 23 x 31 x 0.1 cm Print - 9.1 x 12.2 x 0 inch

$1,958

Painting, Fly#3, Sparkle

Sparkle

Painting - 73 x 92 x 1 cm Painting - 28.7 x 36.2 x 0.4 inch

$979

Painting, Pousse-Moi, Antoine Josse

Antoine Josse

Painting - 99.8 x 99.8 x 5.1 cm Painting - 39.3 x 39.3 x 2 inch

$3,600

Print, Butterfly II, James Chiew

James Chiew

Print - 60 x 60 x 2 cm Print - 23.6 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch

$3,365

Painting, Aerodynamic, Stom500

Stom500

Painting - 120 x 100 x 5 cm Painting - 47.2 x 39.4 x 2 inch

$5,996

Sculpture, Chat sur bidon, C215

C215

Sculpture - 22 x 17 x 7 cm Sculpture - 8.7 x 6.7 x 2.8 inch

$2,692

Photography, Dynamic goose, Frederic Bauer

Frederic Bauer

Photography - 60 x 90 x 2 cm Photography - 23.6 x 35.4 x 0.8 inch

$2,203

Painting, Capture, Safia Wosth

Safia Wosth

Painting - 50 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch

$612

Painting, Scène taurine, Juan Benito

Juan Benito

Painting - 50 x 60 x 0.3 cm Painting - 19.7 x 23.6 x 0.1 inch

$844

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