Animals have always inspired the artist that is man. This exhibition presents 120 works dating from the Renaissance to the modern day, but only those that show animals by themselves, without a human presence. Interesting…The exhibition is organised into five themed areas:

1. Looking at Animals

2. Aesthetic and Moral Prejudices

3. Monkeys and Men

4. New Sensitivity

5. Otherness : Exotic Animals

The related events are free, and include conferences, films (Moby Dick, King Kong…), documentaries, and a series of films to see as a family.

The organisers have also dreamt up a vast number of ways of parting you from your money, including the iPad app for the exhibition (5€, here), the official catalogue (240 pages, 39€ here), the mini catalogue and the Beaux-Arts special edition, the DVD (52 minutes, 20€ – still no Blu-ray on the horizon), and even the ‘animal beauty’ silk scarf (except that it’s common old cotton and still costs 25€!).

Perhaps the main thing that sets us apart from animals is actually money?

The Animal Beauty exhibition is at the Grand Palais (here) from 21st March – 16 July 2012

Open ever day except except Tuesdays from 10am – 8pm (10pm Wednesdays). Closed 1st May

Admission: 12€ / 8€. Free from 8pm – midnight as part of the European Museum Night, Saturday 19 May 2012

Official site: www.rmn.fr/beaute-animale

More articles (in French) about the exhibition: here

The Deezer playlist for the exhibition (sounds a bit desperate, doesn’t it?) including 32 animal-related tracks (you’ll need to be a subscriber to the site to listen): here

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