Art by Animals - Exhibition of artwork by elephants and apes is first of its kind, says University of London
Last updated 2/1/2012 1:30:10 PM
Art by Animals - Exhibition of artwork by elephants and apes
A new University of London exhibition for the first time features works of art from several species, including paintings by elephants and apes.
The show, Art by Animals, at UCL's Grant Museum of Zoology features art by elephants, orang-utans, gorillas and chimps. A highlight of the exhibition is a painting of a flowerpot by an elephant called Boon Me, that was formerly a logging elephant in Thailand.
Since the mid-50s, zoos have used art and painting as a leisure activity for animals, also using the activities to raise funds for conservation or the zoo by selling the works.
Co-curator Mike Tuck, a graduate of the UCL Slade School of Fine Art, said: "We believe the exhibition at the Grant Museum to be the first to exhibit multiple species' paintings and to attempt to take a broad view of the phenomenon."
While many species in captivity have interacted with paint, the exhibition aims to ask visitors the question of whether animals can be creative and make art, and why some animal creations are considered valuable and creative, while others are dismissed as meaningless.
Jack Ashby, Manager of the Grant Museum of Zoology, said: "Whether this is actually art is the big question. While individual elephants are trained to always paint the same thing, art produced by apes is a lot more creative and is almost undistinguishable from abstract art by humans that use similar techniques. Ape art is often compared to that of two or three year old children in the scribble stage."
Animal art was first popularised by Granada TV's Zoo Time, which started in 1956. The programme, which was presented by zoologist and artist Desmond Morris, included chimps painting live. One regular was the individual "Congo", who went on have his own exhibition at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London in the late 50s, the catalogue for which is included in the UCL exhibition.Salvador Dali was apparently so smitten with one of Congo's canvases that he declared: "The hand of the chimpanzee is quasihuman; the hand of Jackson Pollock is totally animal!"
Art by Animals runs March 9th. The Museum is open to the public 1-5pm, Monday to Friday. Admission is free.