Art Dogs

Art Dogs

Share this post

Art Dogs
Art Dogs
Welcome to Art Dogs

Welcome to Art Dogs

Meet the beloved pets that lived with beloved artists

Bailey Richardson's avatar
Bailey Richardson
May 16, 2023
57

Share this post

Art Dogs
Art Dogs
Welcome to Art Dogs
6
Share

I love learning about the pets of famous artists.

Here, for example, is Billie Holiday backstage in New York City with her Boxer “Mister,” caught on camera while eating a pair of shoes. Mister was described by some as Billie’s soulmate. Billie also owned:

a Poodle whom she reportedly wrapped in her best mink coat for his cremation following his death, as well as a Beagle, a Great Dane named “Gypsy,” “Bessie Mae Moocho,” a Wire Fox Terrier, and later came “Chiquita” and “Pepe,” baby-bottle-fed Chihuahuas.

There’s of course Picasso’s Dachshund “Lump” and Afghan Hound “Kaboul,” both of whom he immortalized in works of art.

Heizer with his sculpture “North, East, South, West” and his dog Tomato  Rose | Earth art, Environmental art, Land art

Then there’s Michael Heizer, who brings his border collie “Tomato” as his date to art galas.

Image

And, though photos are exceedingly rare, there’s Mitz the marmoset that lived with Virginia and Leonard Woolf. Above, Mitz gazes out of a window in Rome in a photograph captured by Leonard.

Once a week, I’ll share a short dispatch introducing you to the pets—dogs, yes!, but also cats, lizards, marmosets, and more—that were kept by our favorite artists.

You can subscribe to receive these weekly posts to your email inbox.


Starter pack

Here are some of my personal favorite Art Dog editions:

  • Toni Morrison's "Zora"

  • Robert Rauschenberg's turtle

  • Haruki Murakami's "Peter Cat"

  • Eileen Myles' "Rosie"

  • Nick Cave

  • Barbra Streisand's cloned dogs

  • Félix González-Torres

  • Belka and Strelka, Soviet space superstars

  • Chavela Vargas's Xoloitzcuintles

  • Sergei Rachmaninoff's "Levko"

  • Constantin Brâncuși's "Polaire


Who writes this newsletter

Hi there. My name is Bailey. I work here at Substack, where I've been tasked with leading three teams: community, marketing, and writer success.

Before that, I ran People & Company—a small company I founded with Kai and Kevin. We interviewed extraordinary people organizers on our podcast and published a book with Stripe Press on how to build communities today. In 2021, we were acquired by Substack.

‍A decade ago, I grew the early community around Instagram, where I was one of the first 10 employees. I also worked at IDEO, StoryCorps, Pop-Up Magazine and The California Sunday Magazine.

But before all of that I was an art history student. I’m still that at heart. This newsletter is a simple way for me to tap into my love for art—to learn a bit more about the lives of artists I admire—and to pet gaze.

57

Share this post

Art Dogs
Art Dogs
Welcome to Art Dogs
6
Share
© 2025 Bailey Richardson
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start writingGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture

Share