ART OF BARK
Museum of the Dog finds its way back home
Midtown Manhattan has gone to the dogs.
Poodles, Labradors, fox terriers and countless other breeds have invaded a twostory space in the nabe that’s now the new home of the American Kennel Club Museum of the Dog.
The museum, which boasts one of the world’s largest collections of canine fine art, is back in New York City after a 32-year stint in St. Louis.
The institution’s former Midwestern suburban home wasn’t easy to get to for those not familiar with the area. But its new spot at 101 Park Ave., just around the corner from Grand Central Terminal, has already been bringing in plenty of paw, er, foot traffic.
Like the Winter family, who decided to visit after Benjamin, 3, spotted the pup paradise through the large glass windows.
“We were actually walking by and we saw all the dogs outside and decided to come in,” his mom, Alexandra Winter, said. “We don’t have a dog at home, but they love seeing them walk down the street and they love to pet them.”
Both Benjamin and his younger brother, Asher, 2, were decked out in canine embellished clothing.
“They love it,” Winter says of her toddlers’ reaction to the art. “It’s really cool. I think it’s really fun and neat for the kids to see. They’re most into the sculptures.”
The Museum of the Dog was founded in 1982 and was housed on Madison Ave., but moved west in 1987.
“We’ve had a great response,” Alan Fausel, the museum’s executive director, says of the switch back to the Big Apple. “It’s been a brilliant move.”
The art on display is as diverse as the pups in a New York City dog park, ranging from formal to whimsical, old to new, and suited for everyone from tots to hardcore dog-show enthusiasts.
Most of the works have been donated to the American Kennel Club or the museum, whose first exhibit in the new space, “For the Love of All Things Dog,” will run until the end of June.
“Millie on the South Lawn,” a painting by Christine Merrill, depicts former President George H. W. Bush’s English Springer Spaniel lounging on White House grounds.
It’s accompanied by a 1990 letter from the late President’s wife, Barbara, to the museum that reads, “Dogs have enriched our civilization, and woven themselves into our hearts and families through the ages, and I am delighted to see them acknowledged in this way.”
Millie died in 1997 at age 12.
Nearby is a 1940 oil-oncanvas piece titled “Ch. Nornay Saddler,” named for a smooth fox Terrier that was a dog-show legend.
“He won best in show like 70 times or something,” Fausel said. “And he’s portrayed in a very direct, somewhat prosaic anatomical way by Edwin Megargee, who was very much involved in dog shows.”
Fausel explained that at competitions, dogs are judged by certain written standards and Saddler “was just the ideal dog.”
Museum visitors have fallen in love with a massive bright orange work by Mexican artist Alfredo Gracia Aguilar called “The Bravos,” a playful depiction of three Fox Terriers that stands out among more serious works.
There’s a fossil of a Hesperocyon — an ancestor of the dog — that dates to 30 million years B.C. “They were 3 pounds or so and looked more like a weasel or meerkat,” Fausel said.
A two-story glass case lined with porcelain and bronze statues of dogs rises adjacent to the staircase leading to the second floor.
Up there, more artwork is mixed with interactive displays and a coloring corner for kids. There’s a “Meet the Breeds” touchscreen table that lets users click on a breed and discover details on its past, present, appearance, origin and more.
Another fun interactive allows guests to train a virtual Labrador named Molly and teach her how to stay by reaching out a hand and “grabbing” a treat and saying commands. And an onsite library holds 4,000 books on our furry friends.
Other presidential pups on display include “Barney and Miss Beazley at the White House,” a 2005 Constance Coleman painting of late Scottish terriers owned by President George W. Bush. The picture shows them on a bright yellow armchair in a room where a portrait of what looks like George Washington hangs on the wall.
Just don’t expect to ever see art here from President Trump’s reign. He said last week that the idea of him “walking a dog on the White House lawn,” despite apparently being advised that it would be good for him politically, “feels a little phony to me.”
Adult admission to the Museum of the Dog is $15. Kids under 12 get in for $5 and seniors can canine watch for $10.