Cat - by Phaidon Editors (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

A whimsical visual survey of the house cat in art and popular culture, exploring humanity's enduring connection to one of our most loved animal companions

Cats have been beloved and depicted by humans for millennia. These captivating animals appeared as worship statuettes in ancient Egypt, in anthropomorphic illustrations in Victorian England, and, today, in contemporary artwork, on fashion runways, and as social media memes.

Cat celebrates how our feline friends have been depicted in art, popular culture, and history across time and around the world. This vibrantly illustrated book features more than 210 full-page images artfully arranged into playful pairings. Filled with famous artworks, vintage advertisements, classic animations, high-end fashion designs, and more, the book presents a stunning array of imagery, from maneki-neko lucky cats to artists' pets, and ancient mosaics to contemporary couture.

Readers will find iconic pop-culture characters, including Puss in Boots, the Cheshire Cat, and more; renowned artists, such as Andy Warhol, Tracey Emin, Judy Chicago, and Utagawa Hiroshige; and famed creatives, including street-style photographer Jamel Shabazz and fashion designer Thom Browne.

Balancing style with substance, the book includes a foreword by Hannah Shaw, also known as Kitten Lady, who declares that celebrating the cat in images empathetically connects us to this beloved animal, and an enlightening essay by curator Leïla Jarbouai, who traces humanity's symbiotic relationship with cats through the lens of art history.

Featuring an elegant and irresistible cover design depicting a curled-up black cat, this charming volume revels in the undeniable appeal of this captivating animal.

Advisory panel: Yekaterina Barbash, Claire Catterall, Anja Charbonneau, Mihoko Iida, Leïla Jarbouai, Jenny Pierson, Hannah Shaw aka Kitten Lady, Anna Stothart, BriAnne Wills, and Kristiina Wilson

Additional texts: Sara Bader, Yekaterina Barbash, Tim Cooke, Anita Croy, Ellen Mara De Wachter, Catherine Ingram, Leïla Jarbouai, Rebecca Morrill, Ilana Novick, Hannah Silver, Katy Sprinkel, David Trigg, and Alexandra Zagalsky

Review Quotes

'The purrfect source of inspiration.' - The Times

'Cat is a purr-fect celebration of felines in art throughout the centuries.' - Colossal

'Monumental ...the book's text is as intriguing as the pictures.' - Harper's Bazaar

'If the goal was to make a 'cool' cat book, mission accomplished. ' - Creative Boom

'This illustrated catalogue features a fur-midible range of feline depictions, from Greek vases to internet memes.' - Apollo

'A whimsical and fascinating visual journey ... it's delightfully purrrrfect!' - Daily Art Magazine

'Cat treats a single motif as both an organizing principle and archival lens ... proposes a way of looking: obsessive, associative, alert to recurrence.' - Bookpage

About the Author

Phaidon Editors

Hannah Shaw, also known as Kitten Lady, is an award-winning kitten rescuer and humane educator who has dedicated her life to innovating kitten care and protecting the most vulnerable felines. A New York Times bestselling author of Tiny but Mighty and Cats of the World, Shaw is also the founder of the leading nonprofit for kittens, Orphan Kitten Club.

Leïla Jarbouai is an art historian, writer, and Chief Curator of Graphic Arts and Paintings at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris. She is also the author of Cats, a book about cat-focused artworks in the Orsay's collections.