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Dogs are rarely honored in museums, although they sometimes take their place alongside famous people: the Dog Museum opens its doors this Friday (8) in Manhattan and offers them the lead role, to the image of a city where they are often treated as kings. The new museum, funded by the American Kennel Club Professional Breeders' Association – which annually hosts the famous Westminster Dog Show canine beauty contest – features more than 2,000 paintings, photos, sculptures and other items dedicated to dogs.
Among those who are at the center of attention are the faithful companions of American presidents. Like the painting of "Millie", the English springer of George and Barbara Bush.
Or a touching screen titled "Silent Sorrow" depicting the sadness of the fox terrier of King Edward VII after the sudden death of his guardian in English in 1910.
In 1987, the American Kennel Club transferred it to the American Kennel Club in St. Louis, in the Midwest, in larger facilities, but the museum, far from the tourist circuits , was far from successful.
By repatriating the collection to New York, the organization of breeders hopes to seduce the many lovers of dogs of the American financial capital, renowned for their care: it is common to see dogs strolling in stroller or dress winter with cashmere clothes.
The new museum can also hope to attract some of the millions of tourists who visit New York's many museums every year.
"It's great to show a collection that is languishing in the dark," said AFP museum director Alan Fausel, who was previously specialized in canine art in the United States. auction rooms.
Image exhibited at the American Museum of Dogs in New York – Photo: Johannes EISELE
/ AFP
Some of the screens, as accurate as a photograph, allow to document the evolution of the breeds, at large interest of the creators.
"They look at the paintings as if they were creative competitions, their comments are about anatomy, morphology … not about the quality of the canvas," Fausel says.
The works, exhibited on two floors of a modern Park Avenue building, reflect some of the great trends in canine painting: the pre-Victorian works highlight the wild and aggressive side of the animal ; the nineteenth century, however, reflects the golden age of portraiture for animals and humans.
In the twentieth century, photography overshadowed painting, with famous anthropomorphic photographs of American artist William Wegman or portraits of canine stars of the seventh art, such as Lbadie.
The museum, priced at $ 15 per adult, includes interactive panels intended to entertain as much as inform: one of them allows visitors to see which dog breed matches the best to their physiology.
There are also dressage tips and a library of about 15,000 books and documents. And a smartphone application detailing the works on display.
The museum expects to attract about 100,000 visitors a year in the first year, perhaps more through temporary exhibitions for a wide audience, explains Fausel: he is preparing a retrospective dedicated to Hollywood dogs and another dedicated to presidential dogs.
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