You may not realize it, but Dachshunds have been subjects for the art of some of the most famous artists who ever lived over the years. Could it be the proud air of a small dog or perhaps the breed's sweet, loyal disposition - who can say? All we know is that the following artists thought or think that dachshunds are the bee's knees.
Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol adopted a Dachshund in 1973. His name was "Archie" and he and Warhol became inseparable. Andy and Archie were seen everywhere together - at art openings, in their studio and even in the occasional restaurant where it was sometimes necessary to hide Archie with a napkin so the pair wouldn't get kicked out.
Warhol was so attached to Archie that he eventually became his alter ego. He would hold Archie up when the press would try to photograph him and even deflect sensitive questions to the pup. Warhol wouldn't travel to London without the pup.
Archie was not Warhol's last Dachshund and he was eventually inspired to create a lovely piece called Dog (Dachshund) that is a tribute to the breed.
Picasso
Picasso owned a Dachshund named "Lump." It was not the first dog Picasso owned, but it was the only dog he would hold and feed from his hand. Originally the pet had belonged to a friend of Picasso, David Duncan, but when Lump made a visit to Picasso's house in 1957, he ended up staying for the rest of his life.
Picasso said of his beloved pet, "Lump, he's not a dog, he's not a little man, he's somebody else." Lump was loyal to the end and died 10 days before his owner, on March 29, 1973.
David Hockney
If you are a Dachshund lover and you haven't heard of David Hockney, you've been missing out. This artist has painted hundreds of portraits of his two Dachshunds, Stanley and Boodgie, since 1995. He captures scenes of them playing, napping and eating and says, "I make no apologies for the apparent subject matter...these two dear little creatures are my friends."
You can find some of Hockney's paintings and drawings in a book he published in 1998 called, David Hockney's Dog Days.
We think Dachshunds are a work of art too, which is why we have a whole section of ID tags with Dachshund art. See for yourself here.
