Dog Art Today

Frank Lloyd Wright's Doghouse

I spotted this Frank Lloyd Wright inspired doghouse from Pre-Fab-Pets.com on crib candy.
"That would be a perfect gift for Brad Pitt if he had a dog," I thought. Last year Angelina arranged for Brad to privately visit Wright's famed Fallingwater outside of Pittsburgh.

Fallingwater © Time Magazine

Then I wondered if Frank Lloyd Wright ever did design a doghouse, and look what I found….

Berger Doghouse © William Allin Storrer

…this doghouse designed in the 1950's by Frank Lloyd Wright for Robert and Gloria Berger in San Anselmo, CA. He designed a house for them too...

Berger House © William Allin Storrer

And it seems the poor yellow-tagged Ennis House, damaged by earthquakes and floods in LA, has become something of a doghouse too. Who would put a sign on Wright's beautiful scrollwork?!

Ennis House © Alan M. Pavlik

Maybe there are liability issues if they don't warn you about this guy…

Ennis House © Alan M. Pavlik

Click here to contribute to the Ennis House preservation. Clearly this landmark is in desperate need of help : (

Retro Modern Cmielow Dogs

Fox Terrier

When premier shelter blogger Grace Bonney picks a dog, I take notice. Grace, who's gorgeous Design * Sponge sets a standard for us all, recently visited Eden & Eden in SF, a store she describes as "oozing a genuine love of beautiful objects." And after three days of indecision, she decided to purchase one item -- a Cmielow Fox Terrier.

Cmielow figurines at Eden & Eden

The Polish town of Cmielow has porcelain factories that date back to 1790. In the late 50's and early 60's renowned artists such as Lubomiren Tomaszewski, Hanna Orthwein, Henryk Jedrasiak, Mieczyslaw Naruszewicz designed modern figurines that were influenced by the works of Picasso and Henry Moore. These highly sought after pieces soon became harder and harder to find as the factory's production declined and eventually stopped.

Now, new owners have recovered the original molds (from the basement) and are making these wonderful works of art again. Each one is crafted by hand, signed, and shipped with a certificate of authenticity. England's Blue Poppy Art is one of the top wholesalers of Cmielow. They issue 2 limited editions each year, a catalogue upon request, and they are happy to sell retail if you contact them directly.

Collie

Borzoi

Poodle

Bedlington Terrier

Dachshund

Whippet

Melissa Langer: Pug Gifts Today

I know all dog owners are ga-ga for their breeds. But, Pug owners, like the dogs themselves, are unique. They seem especially devoted to their breed, maybe because their dogs ARE so unique – I mean that in a good way. Pugs are adorable!

If you or someone you know is Pug-obsessed, you're in luck. At Melissa Langer's Pug Notes website you can do all your Christmas shopping in one place – well maybe two if you go to her Etsy shop – but you need look no further than Melissa for perfect Pug presents. Follow these step-by-step instructions and cross the Pug lover in your life off your list today.

First choose a Pug gift item. I love her new Pug collages

or Pug soap

or a print of one of her Pug paintings

or Pug playing cards

Or a Pug puzzle, key chain, magnet, cutting board, pillow, mousepad, swtichplate, mug, book, dog bowl or other Pug gift that strikes your fancy.

Then pick up her wonderful hand printed Pug gift cards

And finally, wrap it all up with her one-of-a-kind Pug gift wrap.

There you go! Now, on to the next breed. Pugs will be hard to top. Thanks Melissa! And best to your darling muse, Emmitt : )

RCA's Secrets Revealed. Dogs Alive and Well in Contemporary Art World

Chrissy Wilson

A few weeks ago after results came in of the record breaking Sotheby's contemporary art sale sale, I was encouraged to hear that , as Mike at MAO reported it, the "the sky wasn't falling" in the art world after all (the Impressionist show was dismal and Sotheby's stock had subsequently plummeted 28% in a day the week before.) But, I found it disheartening that I spotted only 2 dog art lots in Sotheby's offerings: Takshi Murakami's Jellyfish Eyes, Max & Shimon, which sold for $541,000 and the vaguely naughty Chihuahua II by Sean Landers. I wondered if dogs had cycled out today's artists' repertoires. If the Royal Academy of Arts 2007 RCA Secret event is any indication, the answer is a resounding "No."

Established to raise money for the college's awards fund, RCA Secret, is the Post Secret of the art world. Each year RCA students and graduates, including many famous alumni, donate postcard sized art pieces signed only on the back. Collectors view the art at the college or online. Then, over a November weekend they can purchase up to 4 postcards for £40 each. This year contributors included Damien Hirst, Manolo Blanik, Christo and Jeanne-Claude, David Bailey, and Tracey Emin along with many other celebrated artists.

I was going to feature all of the dog art works here, but I'm pleased to report there were too many for a reasonably sized post. So, here are my top dog picks…

Micha Bandini

Jo Longhurst

Andor Kömives

Elinor Evans

Vanilla Bear

Nadine Faye James

Christos Lyssiotis (I'm pretty sure this is a dog)

View all the dog art works here along with some favorites and famous names.

Anecdotally speaking, I noticed a curious trend…there were hardly ANY women artists in the Sotheby's sale and there were hardly any dog art works. There were numerous women in the RCA Secret show and there were numerous dog art works. Of the dog art works at RCA, It seemed to me that there were more women than men. The men seemed to favor skulls (or they were just mimicking Hirst or both.) In fact, skulls and dogs are so prevalent in the RCA Show, dare I say, they reflect the zeitgeist of our times…the intense polarity…the yin/yang…dogs=love, skulls=death.

Also, there was much less in the way of the bulbous-head, big eyed Pop Surrealism than I expected. Hardly any "bird on a wire" pieces. And, I'm happy to report, not a single image looking down at Mary-Jane shoes from a first person POV.

Finally, I must share with you my latest acquisition, Wordy Study by Mickey Smith from Jen Bekman's 20 x 200 Series.

I received it yesterday and it's even more brilliant in person. Thanks, Mom and Dad (it was an early Christmas present.)

DOGS by Catherine Johnson

 

I adore Phaidon Press's new book DOGS, a collection vintage photographs collected by photography expert Catherine Johnson. With 450 photos presented in a family album style, paging through the book offers dog lovers a window to the past that's a true joy to look through. The pleasure comes not from nostalgia, but continuity, for there's nothing new in our bond with dogs. We, or at least I, just thought there was.

For example, I was recently interviewed by Pet Style News and asked why I thought dog art is so popular these days? My response included assumptions about people marrying later in life, empty nesters, advertising – like the Target dog, and the fascination with celebrity dogs. Now, after enjoying DOGS, I see dogs are like beer, music, or sexy women, people simply love them and always have. Today if I was asked about the popularity of dogs in our culture, I would simply reply, "Well, have you ever met a dog?" Dog love is self-evident and DOGS is a truly awesome celebration of dogs, of course, but humans too!

Picking out which photos to include here was almost impossible so I decided to focus on some core man/dog behaviors. Where dogs are concerned, people love to...

inhale them…

dress them up and celebrate their birthdays...

talk to them...

make them do tricks...

let them jump on the table...

include them as part of the family...

get them professionally photographed...

and kiss them on the lips...

Suffice it to say, I highly recommend this book for any dog lover in your life. And the price of $14.95 sweetens the deal, because it looks like it could go for double that. There's also an afterword by William Wegman and wonderful quotes from others throughout, my favorite of which is, "They're not dogs. They're art." –- Rachel Leigh.