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ISSUE 14

Fantastic Beasts

PHOTOGRAPHS OF MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS WITH THEIR ANIMAL MUSES

a man sits in a library aisle and pets a dog sitting between his legs
Grant Delin
ED RUSCHA Ed Ruscha with Lola (2016)

ANIMALS are a welcome presence for most any artist, particularly the ones who spend their workdays alone in a studio. These remarkable photographs depict fourteen muse-like relationships between artist and animal, collected here for the first time. From contemporary icons Ed Ruscha and his dog; Marina Abramovic and a falcon; and Ai Weiwei with a cat to artists like Dr. Seuss with his Irish setter; Count Basie and his bulldog; and Frida Kahlo with a fawn, these creatures comfort the greatest makers in modern times.

Introduction by LOUISA MCCUNE
Photography research by ALLISON MEIER

A man in a casual button down and jeans wears a hat while his dog sit beside him in front of an artwork in a studio
Joe’ Davis
RADCLIFFE BAILEY Radcliffe Bailey with his dog (2017)
a still of a man holding a cat from Stanley Kubrick's Film Clock Work Orange
John Springer Collection/CORBIS Corbis via Getty Images
Maria Chabot Archive (MS.6) Photograph
Maria Chabot, courtesy Georgia O’Keeffe Museum
GEORGIA O’KEEFFE Georgia O’Keeffe With a Cat (1944)
a man holds a cat in his arms in front of a turquoise wall
Matthew Niederhauser
AI WEIWEI The artist at his studio in Beijing (2011)
a man in glasses and a suit holds a small dog affectionately so the dog's profile is next to the man's face
© Jack Mitchell
ANDY WARHOL Andy Warhol and his dachshund Archie in November 1973
a man and his dog lay on a mat next to a pool and look at a newspaper together
Gene Lester/Getty Images
THEODOR SEUSS GEISEL Dr. Seuss with Cluny at their home in La Jolla, California (1957)
a man plays a small instrument with his mouth while sitting in a chair next to a pool while a dog "sings" beside him
Chuck Fishman/Getty Images
COUNT BASIE Count Basie and his bulldog Graf, poolside, at their home in Freeport, Bahamas (1979)
A man drives a car with a dog in his lap as the dog peers over the steering wheel
© Ray Charles White Archives
DAVID HOCKNEY David Hockney and Stanley in the Hollywood Hills in the mid-1980s
A family stands together in an outdoor setting, surrounded by dogs and chickens
David Montgomery/Getty Images
PAUL AND LINDA McCARTNEY Paul McCartney and his wife Linda with their daughters, Heather, Stella, and Mary, in Rye, East Sussex (1976)
a woman in traditional Mexican dress kneels outside a building and pets her fawn
Nickolas Muray; © Nickolas Muray Photo Archives
FRIDA KAHLO Frida with her deer Granizo (1939)
a man lounging in a recliner sleeps while his three cats join him by napping around him
EDWARD GOREY Edward Gorey and his cats at his home in Yarmouth Port, Massachusetts (1992)
a man holds and snuggles a puppy in his arms
© William Wegman
WILLIAM WEGMAN William Wegman and Flo (2011)
a falcon wraps its talons around the gloved hand of a woman
© Marina Abramovic, courtesy the Marina Abramovic Archives
MARINA ABRAMOVIC Portrait with Falcon (2010)