Eugène-Hippolyte Forest born Strasbourg, France, 1808; died Grenoble, France, 1891 after J. J. Grandville (Jean-Ignace-Isidore Gérard) born Nancy, France, 1803; died Vanves, France, 1847 ANIMAL KINGDOM. Natural History Cabinet 1833 hand-coloured lithograph on paper 81/20.1
Metamorphosis: Human/Animal Transformations in Satirical Art
EXHIBITION OVERVIEW
The impulse to transform human beings into animals is part of a long tradition in satirical art. The vices and unruly behaviour of powerful people were particular targets of caricaturists. Artists lampooned monarchs, politicians and the nobility by exaggerating body parts and facial features that resembled those of animals.
This small, focused exhibition features the work of British and French caricaturists of the 1700s and 1800s. By combining human and animal forms to invent witty hybrid creatures, they showcased their imaginative powers.
In 1976, the Trier-Fodor Foundation gave the Art Gallery of Ontario more than 1,100 works by the humorist and illustrator Walter Trier. The gift was accompanied by an endowment to support the acquisition and exhibition of humorous, satirical and illustrative graphic art.
This exhibition is included with general admission.
Organized by Art Gallery of Ontario