Would you like to know which dog breed you resemble? It is one of the surprises hidden in the Museum of the Dog, along with 19th-century Victorian paintings and movie posters featuring pets such as “Lassie”. It opened its doors last February 8 in New York.
Dogs, like cats, are rarely recognized in museums unless they appear alongside famous personalities. However, this museum gives dogs the leading role as man's best friend.
The museum is funded by the professional breeders' association American Kennel Club, an American canine club that sets its own rules for dog breeding. It has two spacious exhibition halls and a library with more than 15,000 items, all about dogs. It really is the ideal place “to celebrate the art of the dog,” says Alan Fausel, the center's director of cultural resources, in an interview with the EFE news agency.
It is a reopening of the museum, since its doors actually first opened in Manhattan in 1982, and between 1986 and 2017 it moved to the city of Saint Louis, Missouri. But as Alan Fausel rightly stated, “this museum is back to stay.”
Among the honored dogs are the faithful companions of American presidents. These include the canine portrait of Millie, the former American president's springer spaniel George Bush and his wife, Barbara Bush. The portrait shows Millie lying on the grass next to a ball. There is also the painting of King Edward VII's fox terrier, titled “Silent Sorrow”.
Most of the paintings and canvases in the museum date from the golden age of dog painting, between 1840 and 1940. One highlight is the portrait of a Saint Bernard from 1896, painted by British-American artist Maud Earl, in which she immortalized a large-scale canvas of a Saint Bernard dog. According to the director, it is considered one of the museum's “favorite pieces”. Also noteworthy are the paintings by the dog painter and favorite artist of Queen Victoria of England (1819-1901), Edwin Henry Landseer.
It also includes fun and informative interactive panels to entertain visitors. One of them is even a large screen, “Mollie”, a virtual dog, that teaches visitors how to train a pet to bark, fetch the ball, or sit. Another screen allows visitors to see which dog breed matches their physiology.
Do you want to visit it? If you love ARISTODOGS and have one, you're probably starting to feel like crossing the pond to see this wonderful museum, dedicated exclusively to dogs.
If you have the pleasure of visiting it or have already visited it, tell us about it on social media and share your experience.