Animal as Muse

Chances are, at some point in your life, a pet or animal has inspired your imagination or taught you something about the wonder of the world around you. Animals in art have appeared throughout history, dutifully serving as background detail, faithful friends and even stepping forward as portrait-worthy subject matter in iconic paintings and many other works. Animal As Muse showcases artwork from the museum’s collection that features artists’ conceptions of animals in many of the roles they play in humans’ lives. Artwork included in the exhibition ranges from fanciful and surreal conceptions of wildlife, such as Ellen Lanyon’s painting, The Disguise—in which a pair of lunar moths seem to combine to create the countenance of a lion—to realistic depictions of human-animal interactions. Among these is Sandra Weiner’s 1973 photograph, Easter Morning, Ninth Avenue, 1973, which captures a moment of play between a child and a pet dog on a sunny New York sidewalk. Additional work on view will include photographs by Pavel Baňka and Helen Levitt, and a glittering assemblage of beads, costume jewels and found objects by outsider artist Simon Sparrow, who fashioned the items to create a vibrant image of a green snake. This exhibition is organized by the Akron Art Museum and supported by a generous gift from The Mary S. and David C. Corbin Foundation.