Martin Bethenod

Joan Mitchell, an extraordinary figure in 20th-century art, remains one of the most celebrated painters of the Abstract Expressionist movement. Born in 1925, in Chicago, Illinois, she grew to redefine abstraction, blending emotional intensity with lyrical beauty. Her work, characterised by dynamic brushstrokes, vivid colours, and profound emotional depth, established her as a towering presence in a predominantly male art world. Joan Mitchell had 13 dogs. Georges du Soleil, a black poodle, was one of Joan Mitchell's beloved canine companions. Known for her deep affection for animals, Mitchell treasured Georges as a constant presence in her life during her years in France. Georges, like her other pets, was more than just a companion; he was part of the vibrant, dynamic environment that nourished her creativity and her ability to channel emotion into her art. “Dogs are objects of love (I suppose people could be? Sometimes)” wrote Joan Mitchell. From her first dog, the adored Georges du Soleil, to Skye Terriers Idée, Isabelle, and Ibertelle (“Bertie”), Brittany Spaniel Patou, German Shepherds Iva, Marion, and Madeleine, and not forgetting Prunelle and Belle-Bête; all of them cherished companions in her life and work, all of them celebrated here. Joan Mitchell and her dogs: a love story.

"I only feel comfortable at home with my dog, my pencils and my paper" - Yves Saint Laurent, The Guardian, February, 2000 Successor of Christian Dior then director of his own fashion house, Yves Saint Laurent has established himself as a visionary designer throughout his career. Inseparable from the myth of Saint Laurent, his dogs accompanied him as much in the habitation of his apartments shared with Pierre Bergé, as in the effervescence of the workshop on Avenue Marceau, and fashion shows. The author highlights the forgotten dogs of childhood, extravagant chihuahuas, such as Hazel, who were faithful companions of the artist for more than 20 years. Effigies on annual greeting cards, evening models for Rive Gauche, and muses of Warhol or Hockney, the four famous French Bulldogs - all named Moujik - will be an integral part of the legend of the creator. Enriched by a new iconography by Hedi Slimane, artistic director of Saint Laurent from 2012 to 2016 and artistic director of Céline since 2018, the book includes nearly 80 images from photographic archives, and drawings by Yves Saint Laurent.

In 1933, Virginia Woolf wrote a biography of the poet Elisabeth Barret Browning, told in the first person by her cocker spaniel, Flush. In 1936, to write her memoirs, All the dogs of my life, Elisabeth von Arnim chose to tell the story of the 14 dogs that had accompanied her throughout her life. In 1957, the dachshund Lump arrived at the home of Pablo Picasso, whose life he shared until 1973. This book charts Picasso's intimate family life, with Jacqueline, Claude and Paloma, and with the animals that populate the villa La Californie, as well as his artistic life. Inspired by these references, this collection (whose title is a nod to Picasso and Lump) takes a look at the lives and works of the great artists and art lovers of the 20th and 21st centuries from the perspective of their relationship with the "dogs of their lives". These lighthearted, erudite books offer a unique approach to the life and work of Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, Peggy Guggenheim and Yves Saint Laurent...

Dancing with Myself investigates the elemental importance of self-representation in art from the 1970s to the present day and the role of the artist as protagonist and subject of the work. Through a wide variety of artistic practices and artists (from Claude Cahun to LaToya Ruby Frazier, from Gilbert and George to Cindy Sherman, and from Alighiero Boetti to Maurizio Cattelan) coming from different cultures and backgrounds, generations and experiences, it reflects on the contrast between different approaches: melancholy and vanity, ironic games played with identity and political autobiography, existential rumination and the body as sculpture, effigy or fragment, and its symbolical representation.