This gallery displays work by artists who use taxidermy in their art but are not necessarily considered taxidermists. Some of these pieces are also well-known in the art world and gained a lot of public attention for being the first of their kind. These artists would probably not see themselves in the Rogue Taxidermy movement, but their pieces still fit in their own unique ways.
Meret Oppenheim
Object
Paris, 1936
Fur-covered cup, saucer, and spoon
Cup 10.9 cm in diameter; saucer 23.7 cm in diameter; spoon 20.2 cm long, overall height 7.3 cm
Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY
Oppenheim’s work caused a lot of conversations in the 30’s, provoking the public to be one of the most notorious surrealist objects. Thinking about the senses and what it might feel like to drink out of a fur lined cup, Oppenheim took a store-bought cup and covered it with fur after a conversation she had with Picasso and Dora Maar in a Paris cafe. Picasso was admiring her fur bracelets stating that just about anything could be covered with fur in which Oppenheim replied, “Even this cup and saucer”. The Surrealist movement was male dominated, leaving Oppenheim to forge a path for herself. By transforming items that are traditionally associated with femininity, she is able to challenge our thinking and connect us to our subconscious mind.
Damien Hirst
The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living
1991
Tiger shark, glass, steel, 5% formaldehyde solution
213 cm × 518 cm × 213 cm
Metropolitan Museum of Art (2007-2010),
Tate Modern (2012)
The series of works by Hirst that involve animals suspended in formaldehyde solution are a part of the more controversial pieces that he has made. “The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living”, 1991 being one of them as Hirst asked a fisherman to capture a shark for this piece. The original specimen was not preserved right, causing it to decay, leading to multiple iterations and sharks to be used. As a popular contemporary artist, Hirst’s work gained a lot of criticism as audiences were not used to seeing wet specimens displayed in this context. The works also sell for millions of dollars, which gives profit to the artists, and not always the animals or an important cause.
Explore Julius's page to see his piece move!
Julius von Bismarck
Das Reh
2024
Wood, fur, winches, controllers, wooden plinth
165 x 108 x 60 cm
Bismarck’s piece is motorized and falls in on itself at the joints, as if it was one of those toys you would play with as a child. It comments on the symbolism of the deer throughout many cultures and the way it may be perceived. The deer can be seen as kind, noble and even magical. As the deer collapses and builds itself back up again, you begin to think about the human, animal, and environmental connection. Humans dominate the environment, causing animals populations to crumble. But with time, populations can build themselves back up again, with the hope that humans will do the right thing.
Maurizio Cattelan
Bidibidobidiboo
1996
Taxidermied squirrel, ceramic, formica, wood, paint, steel
45 x 60 x 58 cm | 17 3/4 x 23 1/2 x 22 3/4 inch
Mark Dion
Concrete Jungle (Mammalia)
1993
Mixed media, including taxidermy cat, opossum, squirrel and found objects,
53 x 139 x 54 inches.
Image courtesy of the artist and Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York
This project is for education use