Perhaps the only beneficiaries of the pandemic today are pets, who are suddenly getting around-the-clock attention while their owners work from home. And the joys are mutual: With their fluffy cuddles, unconditional love, and inability to talk back, pets make great quarantine companions for people, too.
We asked art world insiders to share pictures of their whiskered work-from-home buddies, and how they’re helping to make this difficult time a little bit sweeter.
Maria
(George Condo’s Cat)
Maria the cat. Courtesy of George Condo.
“Here’s a shot of Maria sitting on my drawing paper in the dining room. We are having quite a bit of ‘alone time’ these days. She likes to try to chase the pencil around while it’s in my hand and I’m trying to work! It’s great to have a pet to make art with… they are so nonjudgmental.”
—George Condo, artist
Cleo
(Lynda Benglis’s Dachshund)
Cleo. Photo courtesy of Lynda Benglis.
“Cleo is the boss!”
– Lynda Benglis, artist
Albee and Noonan
(Barbara Gladstone’s Labrador Retrievers)
Noonan, at left, and Albee, at right. Image courtesy of Barbara Gladstone
“Albee and Noonan have helped me keep a rigid schedule during this quarantine. In between meetings, we all go to a remote nature preserve on Long Island for a long walk together. It’s been very helpful for all of us to get outside, and they have such fun roaming around and swimming.
Both dogs are from the organization Puppies Behind Bars, an organization that trains prison inmates to raise service dogs for wounded war veterans and first responders, as well as explosive-detection canines for law enforcement.”
—Barbara Gladstone, gallery owner
Harper
(Julia Halperin’s Newshound)
Harper Halperin-D’amico, cub reporter.
“Harper is extremely into my personal social isolation but very bad at social distancing.”
—Julia Halperin, executive editor, Artnet News
PEACE Pigeon Coop
(Anton van Dalen’s Pigeons)
Anton van Dalen with his pigeons. Photo courtesy of the artist.
“Pigeons first brought poetry to me as child growing up in Holland. They became my lifelong sweet travel companions, along on an at times rocky migratory path, calming down my anxious mind to quiet, and again today at this time of the extremely worrisome COVID-19 virus outbreak, they steady my being.”
—Anton van Dalen, artist
Bert
(Kathy Grayson’s Pomeranian)
Bert the Pomeranian. Image courtesy of Kathy Grayson
“Bert is a serotonin distributor, you don’t even have to pet him; it works just by looking at him.”
—Kathy Grayson, owner The Hole
Princess Buttercup
(Caroline Goldstein’s Jug [Jack Russell x Pug])
HRH Princess Buttercup in bed. (Courtesy of Caroline Goldstein)
“Princess Buttercup is thrilled to have a captive audience whilst her humans are social distancing.”
—Caroline Goldstein, editorial assistant, Artnet News
Houdini “Dini” Curtiss-King
(Clinton King and Julie Curtiss’s Cat)
Houdini “Dini” Curtiss-King. Photo courtesy of Clinton King.
“This is the longest period of time Dini and I have spent time together (just him and I). Together we are learning how to cope without mom [artist Julie Curtiss, who is self-isolating in France]. He’s now always on my desk for a change. Every morning and night we have long and strenuous conversations about behavior, eating habits, and personal space. Dini enjoys sitting on my books and watching me struggle through beginner yoga poses. All the while I enjoy his presence. In other words we are making the best of it. To be honest, I couldn’t make it without him… just don’t let him know that.”
—Clinton King, artist
Finnegan, Molly, and Winston Kelly
(Sean Kelly’s Arf Handlers)
Finnegan, Molly, and Winston Kelly, Jack Russels and a French Bulldog. Image courtesy of Sean Kelly.
“Even the dogs are adopting social distancing measures in the Kelly household.”
—Sean Kelly, gallery owner
Hubert
(Andrea Schwan’s Dachshund)
Hubert the dachshund. Image courtesy of Andrea Schwan
“He’s the perfect isolation buddy, and makes an occasional appearance in the endless Zoom meetings that consume the days.”
—Andrea Schwan, arts publicist
Bar
(Michal Rovner’s Dog)
Michal Rovner’s dog Bar, which is Hebrew for “wild.” Photo courtesy of Michal Rovner.
“At night, I see from the desert my new wild dog, who is not aware of what the world is going through. I’m not allowed to travel, I don’t fly, I feel like a bird whose wings are shorter, but when I hear the birds around me, I am one of them.”
– Michal Rovner, artist
Olga
(Rachel Corbett’s Cat)
Olga the cat. Photo by Rachel Corbett.
“My 18-year-old cat Olga is a frail and sensitive friend who is wonderfully indifferent to all our troubles.”
—Rachel Corbett, deputy editor, Artnet News
Rocky
(Jessica Dawson’s Dogcurator)
Rocky, dog of Jessica Dawson, curator of dOGUMENTA. Photo by Jessica Dawson.
“Rocky is contemplating what the end of butt sniffing means for networking in the art world.”
—Jessica Dawson, art critic and curator of dOGUMENTA
Jones
(Taylor Dafoe’s Boston Terrier)
Jones Schulte Dafoe, esquire.
“Like the rest of us, Jones is doing his best. He’s adopted a ‘rules are made to be broken’ stance toward social distancing. And somehow he hasn’t gotten his sourdough starter to take.”
—Taylor Dafoe, news reporter, Artnet News
Merce and Jasper
(Pac and Adrian Pobric’s Cats)
Merce, on the left, and her brother Jasper in front of collages by Lisa Barense.
“Merce and Jasper have taken their newfound extra hours to plan their next salon wall installation.”
—Pac Pobric, managing editor, Artnet News