The Animals of Artists

One of the hallmarks of team Canyonhaus is our passionate love of animals. Between all four team members, we have two goofy pit bulls, two wily terriers, and one very special black cat, so for us, the house isn’t truly a home without our Fur Family. We believe the animals we keep as companions say a lot about our personalities, which is why we got such a kick out of these photos from a recent Architectural Digest article. From Picasso’s creatively named Dalmatian, Perro, to Salvador Dali’s exotic pet ocelot, read on for an adorable peek into the domestic side of some of the world’s most creative minds in art and architecture.

DIEGO RIVERA

Mexican artist Diego Rivera poses for a portrait with the dog he shared with wife and fellow artist Frida Kahlo.

SALVADOR DALÍ

The inimitable artist Salvador Dalí is pictured here signing documents while his pet ocelot (named Baby) lies on the table before him. The ocelot is a wildcat that’s typically found in the American Southwest and Mexico.

GUSTAV KLIMT

Best known for his painting Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I (a portrait which, in 2006, sold for a then world record $135 million and was later the theme of the movie Woman in Gold), Austrian-born Gustav Klimt also had a love for his cats.

TSUGUHARU FOUJITA

The French-Japanese artist Tsuguharu Foujita was, at one time, close friends with such early-20th-century icons as Amedeo Modigliani, Pablo Picasso, Fernand Léger, Juan Gris, and Henri Matisse. The post-Impressionist visionary had a love for cats, which was perhaps most evident in his Book of Cats (1930), a collection of drawings of cats by Foujita.

OSCAR NIEMEYER

Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer, seen here (top left) in his Rio de Janeiro home with his wife and dog. Niemeyer is considered one of the torchbearers of modern architecture, with Cathedral of Brasília and Palácio do Planalto (official office of the Brazilian president) among his most famous designs.

NORMAN ROCKWELL

Famous artist Norman Rockwell created some of the most iconic American paintings of the 20th century. The New York City native was pictured here walking with his two Labrador retrievers near his Vermont studio.

FRIDA KAHLO

Legendary Mexican artist Frida Kahlo is pictured here holding her dog in the Mexico City home she lived in with her husband, fellow artist Diego Rivera.

DAVID HOCKNEY

Arguably the most famous living artist today, U.K.-born David Hockney is seen holding one of his beloved short-legged dachshunds.

PABLO PICASSO

Picasso had many loves. Everyone knows of the Spanish-born artist’s affinity for art; many others know of his passion for women (Picasso had multiple wives, and many more mistresses). Yet what’s lesser-known is the artist’s love for dogs. He had several throughout his long life. Pictured here was one of his favorites, a Dalmatian creatively named Perro (the Spanish word for dog).

FLORENCE KNOLL

Studying under Mies van der Rohe and Eliel Saarinen, American-born Florence Knoll is best known for her unique vision as an architect and furniture designer. Here, Knoll, who cofounded the multibillion-dollar design firm that bears her name, is posing for a photo with her dog.

GEORGIA O’KEEFFE

American artist Georgia O’Keeffe sits outside her New Mexico home to brush one of her two pet dogs.