BestiaryAn artistic gaze to the animal world

The relationship between humans and animals began with the earliest days of their coexistence. Animals have always lived alongside humans, who have treated them as potential enemies or companions, as sources of food or as a workforce. Iconography involving animals has historically been used as a symbol, metaphor, allegory, or analogy to represent the world. The interest in depicting them has left us an endless number of artworks, through the analysis of which we can explore the diverse ways of seeing and interpreting each culture. Domestic animals, wild fauna, hunting species, and mythical creatures allow us to revisit the spaces of art and life from prehistory to the contemporary age.

The Bestiary exhibition aims to present an artistic vision of the animal kingdom, establishing a dialogue between current representation styles and those of other eras. The show’s spirit has a markedly antiquarian character, featuring high-quality decorative arts such as the Roman marble Torso of a Sheep, as well as pieces from the 16th and 17th centuries. Particularly noteworthy are a pair of polychrome plaster console panels featuring roosters, birds, and parrots on a black background, attributed to Lorenzo Bonuccelli from the early 17th century.

Since the gallery’s collection includes works by artists from the late 19th and 20th centuries, we can enjoy a wonderful drawing of six sketches of a dog by Marià Fortuny, in which his innovative style and strong technical mastery are evident. The precision of his drawing, subtler than his painting, is already remarkable in these ink sketches displayed in this show. This piece will be accompanied by works by other early 20th-century artists such as Josep Granyer, Pascual Monturiol, Pau Roig, Hermen Anglada-Camarasa, Roberto Domingo, Ismael Smith, and Manolo Hugué.

The reasons for the popularity of animals have endured to this day: the association with human traits, the fascination with exoticism, the need to explore fantasy, irony or social criticism, and the desire to depict the eternal struggle between good and evil. These principles remain ever-present in art, literature, film, and video games. From Moby Dick to Harry Potter and the Catalan festive and popular bestiary, animals continue to accompany and inspire us.