Throughout world history, cats have been revered as sacred animals, doted on as devoted companions, and immortalized in works of art.
Now, these four-legged introverts are featured in a 10-day group exhibition of works by more than 40 artists punnily titled Magnum O-Pspsps at Cornell University’s Olive Tjaden Gallery in Ithaca, New York, through September 25.
Curators and Cornell MFA students Michael Morgan and Elina Ansary cited two significant inspirations for creating a salon-style, cat-themed exhibition. Morgan read The Pussycat Princess, a 1922 fairytale by Edward Anthony that included stylized photos of furry models dressed as kings, queens, and jesters. And he researched the life of English illustrator Louis Wain, whose 20th-century anthropomorphized drawings helped popularize cats as household pets.
“In Renaissance paintings, cats are lifeless and soulless, but in Wain’s drawings, cats had so much life and emotions and character,” Morgan said. “He turned to cats during a difficult time in his life.”
Tatiana Tatum, “Meow from the back seat” (2024), oil on canvas, matte and glossy varnishes (photo courtesy the artist)
There was a more personal angle, too. Morgan adopted a gray Siamese cat that he named after the Zelda character Rauru when he moved to Ithaca last fall to start his master’s program. He said Rauru irrevocably changed him.
“I’m a dog person, but a Siamese cat is the most doglike of cats, and now I’m more of a cat person. They value their independence, and they’re affectionate,” he said. “It got me thinking, what does it mean to have one’s greatest work be their cat?”
Steve Keister, “Siamese Cat” (2022), glazed ceramic and acrylic on wood (photo courtesy Derek Eller Gallery)
It turned out that many artists viewed their cats as tiny muses. Morgan began reaching out to artists in the Cornell community, and word quickly spread beyond the Finger Lakes region. Soon, he was buried in submissions like litter in a sandbox.
“Cats embody feminine and queer energy, which made it really easy to rally people behind this show,” he said. “It’s a way for other people who may be introverted cat-loving artists to activate and be part of a community.”
As a dog person who happens to be extremely allergic to cats, painter Erika Ranee was amused when Morgan invited her to participate. Still, she contributed a dazzling collage portrait of an iconic cat lady decorated with plenty of crystals and feathers.
“This is a cat, in all her splendor, who fascinates me — and no sneezing!” Ranee said. “I embellished her and her feline sister with plenty of OG bling and a ticklish love gift of bird remnants.”
Juan Hinojosa, “Gloria” (2020), blinders, paint, spray paint, toys, trim, tape, and found objects on PVC (photo courtesy the artist)
Other entries were memorials for feline friends who passed away. Artist Lisa Lebofsky lent an abstract work with paint scratched off an aluminum base. Its metallic surface means that it looks different depending on the angle; from some perspectives, it resembles the splotchy fur pattern of Lebofsky’s deceased cat Fileseffer, named for a mispronunciation of the word “Filesaver.”
“Cats have always been my best studio assistants, calling me to paint, observing, sitting on me to be sure I stay put and focused,” she said. “She was always by my side or on my lap, sharing her exceptional furry belly and chest. Just as the fur spirals outward from her armpit, so did our experiences during her long life.”
Emily Weiskopf, “Toes” (2024), acrylic on paper (photo courtesy the artist)
Leeza Meksin, an art professor at Cornell, displayed a yoga mat that her tuxedo cat, Katya, scratched several times shortly before her death. It is the only piece in the show that is a collaboration between the artist and her pet.
“I was mad at her at first, but a month later, I understood that she was leaving me a message to have and to hold after she’s gone,” Meksin said. “I now think of her every time I roll out my yoga mat.”
Morgan was touched by one submission in particular: a chrome cast of a headstone that belonged to one of the participating artists’ cats. Still, not every cat memorial could make the cut.
“After I invited artists to participate, I would start to get artists who were friends of other artists asking if they could join,” he said. “Another artist asked, ‘Can I have my cat bones in the show?’ I said no. There’s a line I had to draw.”
