L'ours, le cochon, le chat et Cie
Bernard Fibicher
Man and animals and the relationship between them through a number of masterpieces from the seventeenth century to the present day.
By taking as a star ting point nine emblematic animals the bear, the deer, the pig, the cow, the donkey, the cat, the chicken, the butterfly, and the fly all animals that are (whether we like it or not) “close” to us, this book examines images that are at times banal and at times surprising or even spectacular, but which nevertheless offer insights into the complex relationship between mankind and animals.
Comme des bêtes shows that depicting animals has been an effective way through the ages and across civilizations of expressing our moods, our desires, our worries, our ghosts, our need to feel close to animals or to set ourselves apart from them. Comme des bêtes brings together a variety of works from the seventeenth century to the present day paintings, sculptures, photos, videos, installations from the collection of the Musée cantonal des Beaux-Arts, in Lausanne, as well as from numerous other public and private collections.
The artists represented include Albert Anker, Balthus, Balthasar Burkhard, Maurizio Cattelan, Marc Chagall, Gustave Courbet, Salvador Dalí, Francisco Goya, Damien Hirst, Ferdinand Hodler, Rebecca Horn, Jeff Koons, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Edouart Manet, Paul McCarthy,Yoko Ono, Claudio Parmiggiani, Rembrandt, Félix Vallotton, Andy Warhol, Xu Bing, and others.
Bernard Fibicher is the Director of the Musée cantonal des Beaux-Arts, in Lausanne.