Amigos Forever – serie

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 at least nine dogs during her lifetime, and Georges du Soleil, a brown poodle, was her first beloved canine companion. Known for her deep affection for animals, Mitchell treasured Georges as a constant presence during her New York years. Like the other dogs that would follow, Georges was more than just a companion; he was also 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.

Pierre Bonnard and His Dogs offers a fresh perspective on the painter’s work through the central place his dogs held within it. Present in his photographs, drawings, and paintings—from his Nabi beginnings to his final years in Le Cannet—they accompanied both his artistic journey and his private life. Drawing on rare sources, Stéphane Guégan shows how these companions shaped Bonnard’s vision: they animate his compositions, disrupt perspective, and bring movement, tenderness, and moral reflection. The book traces this relationship from the joyful decorative scenes of his early years to the later works marked by solitude shared with Marthe. As the fourth title in the Amigos Forever series, it sheds new light on one of the most sensitive painters of the twentieth century and reveals how, through his dogs, Bonnard reflected on creation, freedom, and the vital connection uniting all living beings.

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...