Before I begin a tour of “Dogs & Cats: An Exhibition” at the Headley Whitney Museum, the museum’s executive director and curator Christina Bell, takes me to a cemetery. This is not your average way to begin a tour of an art exhibition. But this is not your average cemetery either; it's a pet cemetery, memorializing all of George Headley's dachshunds. And one cat.

It all begins to make sense as the curator explains why our journey started there. George Headley, founder of the Headley Whitney Museum, adored dachshunds. He had twenty of them throughout his lifetime, including his beloved Ernie. I am sure George and Ernie would approve of this exhibit, which opens to the public on Sept. 20, with an artist reception on Sept. 22.

Tribute to Ernie the Dachshund on display in Headley Whitney Museum

On our short walk to the museum's entrance, Bell explains, "I wanted to present an art exhibit that is accessible to all, to offer something fun, uplifting and joyful." She has met those goals and then some.

As I continue through the exhibit, I encounter a dachshund again, this time in the form of two oil paintings by Jamie Wyeth of Andy Warhol and his dog, Archie, from the collection of Phyllis and Jamie Wyeth. Wyeth and Warhol had become friends during the 1970s. Their work and paths to fame are vastly different from each other. Wyeth descends from a famous family of painters, notably his grandfather, N.C. Wyeth and his father, Andrew. In contrast, Warhol had humble beginnings in Pittsburgh before his rise to fame as a pop culture icon.

Jamie Wyeth. "A.W. Working on Piss Series" 

 

"Jamie Wyeth and Andy Warhol were longtime friends. For a time in the 1970s, Jamie had a studio in The Factory, Andy Warhol's New York studio. Warhol and Archie, who accompanied him everywhere, were the subjects of a series of paintings over the years," observes Bell.

While Wyeth and Warhol are the most overtly recognizable names in this exhibition, they both might have been overshadowed for a time by “Boom Boom,” a Newfoundland belonging to Wyeth whose portrait is included in this exhibition. Boom Boom had gone missing for a time and wound up a celebrity in his own right and was even photographed by the New York Times.

Jamie Wyeth. “Newfoundland Study” 

Wyeth has painted presidents many times over the years; he was 21 years old when he painted John F. Kennedy. Not only did he paint presidents, but he also painted their dogs, some of which became their Christmas cards, including Reagan's and George W. Bush's. On view here, you can see “The Jackson Magnolia with Barney, Miss Beazley and India Bush,” which became the George W. and Laura Bush Christmas Card in 2005, as well as as small studies of their dogs sketched on White House stationery.

Jamie Wyeth. “The Jackson Magnolia with Barney, Miss Beazley, and India Bush" — the George W. and Laura Bush '05 Christmas Card. 
 

Of the 25 works by Wyeth featured in this exhibit, the one I enjoyed most was “Skittish Dog.” It shows the backside of a big dog with pointy ears who appears to be watching a plane go by in a beautiful orange sky. The painting makes me want to sit there and drape my arm around him.

Jamie Wyeth. “Skittish Dog” 

In the largest gallery of this exhibition, I am greeted by over fifty works of dogs and cats, most peacefully co-existing. The curated collection ranges from 1800s paintings on loan from private collections to current works in a variety of styles and mediums created for this exhibition. Many of the paintings include stories about the dog or cat or how the artist came to paint them. 

Henry Faulkner. “Family Portrait”

One important goal of Bell's when presenting exhibitions at the Headley Whitney Museum is to recognize, celebrate and honor the wealth of creative talent we have in Kentucky. (Recent exhibits celebrated Henry Faulkner; and this past spring, RADIANCE, featured Stephen Powell, Arturo Sandoval, Guy Kemper and Travis Adams. Christina Bell has done just that again with Dogs & Cats, showcasing over 30 Kentucky artists, including internationally renowned sporting artist Andre Pater and works by Jaime Corum, Suzy Smith, Kelly Brewer and Rodney Hatfield, to name but a few. 

And, yes, that Hatfield. Coming from a lineage of the Hatfields and McCoys, Rodney Hatfield, aka “Art Snake,” grew up in Kentucky in a working-class family, rich with a diversity of lifestyles and characters that deeply influenced his legendary careers in music and visual arts,” notes Bell. “A lover of animals in general, dogs and cats have always been in his life and often find their way onto his canvas. As Rodney Hatfield said, ”Some of the best people I know are cats and dogs." Hatfield's works can be found in many collections, including those of actors Gene Hackman and Liam Neeson. How wonderful to be introduced to the whimsical work of Art Snake, and it's nice to see Hatfield have notoriety as an artist instead of a connective thread in a never-ending family feud of long ago.

Rodney Hatfield. “Smithers Goes Tippin”

 

Another major part of the exhibit is a Historical Dog Collar collection on loan from the National Sporting Library & Museum (NSLM) in Middleburg, Viriginia. It was developed in partnership with the American Kennel Club Museum of the Dog in New York, New York. The collars, ranging from the 1500s to the 1900s, were curated from a collection of 187 collars donated to the NSLM by Dr. and Mrs. Timothy J. Greenan in 2015.  

When I first heard about the Dog Collar exhibit, I thought I was hearing wrong, as I had never heard of or seen a show on dog collars. My dog's collar is pretty basic, made of leather with a brass nameplate. It is far from what I see as I walk into this gallery.

 

Dog Collar, Dutch 1793

 

At the heart of Dogs and Cats, Bell wanted to explore through art our deep connection with our pets and the joy they bring to our lives. She included in the exhibit a quote, “Everyone believes they have the best dog or cat, and none of them are wrong.” Christina Bell has successfully brought that joyfulness she had hoped to, with some added humor. I spent an enjoyable afternoon with the works of Wyeth, whimsical works and a great collection by Kentucky artists. I walk out of the Headley Whitney on a beautiful day in a beautiful location with a smile on my face and say my goodbyes to Christina and the dachshunds of long ago.

 

Jamie Corum. “Ethan Almighty”

 

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Also on Undermain: What Dogs Think

“Olive” (Photo by Ellen Furlong)

Do dogs understand our words? What is their natural method of communication? Answers to these questions and more (including that thing about popping their heads out of our car windows and into the breeze as we roll along) in a conversation with Transylvania University dog cognition researcher, Ellen Furlong. She's giving a talk on Sept. 24 at 2nd Story in downtown Lexington. Listen to Tom Martin's interview.