This publication is aimed at animal-lovers in general and especially those who are fond of cats. The book gives a wide-ranging and detailed presentation of the "feline" exhibits in the Hermitage: Ancient Egyptian bronze, mediaeval European painting, Chinese and Japanese graphic art, Russian lubok prints of the 18th to 20th centuries, cats in the form of fans, toys and much more. The book also contains a unique account of the history of the real-life Hermitage cats that have been employed in the service of the museum for over 260 years.

“It’s official. That thing that classic art has been missing is a chubby reclining kitty.” —The Huffington Post Internet meme meets classical art in Svetlana Petrova’s brilliant Fat Cat Art. Featuring her twenty-two-pound, ginger-colored cat Zarathustra superimposed onto some of the greatest artworks of all time, Petrova’s paintings are an Internet sensation. Now fans will have the ultimate full-color collection of her work, including several never-before-seen pieces, to savor for themselves or to give as a gift to fellow cat lovers. From competing with Venus’s sexy reclining pose (and almost knocking her off her chaise lounge in the process) in Titian’s Venus of Urbino, to exhibiting complete disdain as he skirts away from God’s pointing finger in Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam, Zarathustra single-handedly rewrites art history in the way that only an adorable fat cat can.

When the museum's visitors are gone for the day, it's time for the kittens to come out and play! This new chapter book series by best-selling author Holly Webb is inspired by tales of real-life museum cats and follows the after-hours adventures of the Museum Kittens. Includes black-and-white illustrations throughout. One stormy night, a little black kitten named Peter appears on the museum steps. Tabby cat Tasha is delighted to show Peter the museum's hallways and secret corners, but her siblings, Bianca and Boris, aren't as happy to welcome the new arrival. Determined to prove that Peter is just as much of a museum kitten as the others, Tasha takes him on a hunt for rats. When there's a mishap in the Dinosaur Gallery, all of the kittens must work together to fix the situation. Can they do it? In this new series from best-selling author, Holly Webb, the Museum Kittens are brave, clever, and never more than a whisker away from adventure! When the museum's visitors are gone for the day, it's time for the kittens to come out and play!

This is a warm and cheerful children's story about a cat that not only is curious but also loves adventure. He lives in Hawaii and meets new friends where ever his travels take him. This tale has a message about friendship that reaches all people and animals alike. They can relate to what the meaning of what the Aloha Spirit is, sharing memories with others and enjoying the simple things in life.

“An extraordinary debut, a deeply lovely novel that evokes with uncommon deftness the terrible, heartbreaking beauty that is life in wartime. Like the glorious ghosts of the paintings in the Hermitage that lie at the heart of the story, Dean’s exquisite prose shimmers with a haunting glow, illuminating us to the notion that art itself is perhaps our most necessary nourishment. A superbly graceful novel.” — Chang-Rae Lee, New York Times Bestselling author of Aloft and Native Speaker Bit by bit, the ravages of age are eroding Marina's grip on the everyday. An elderly Russian woman now living in America, she cannot hold on to fresh memories—the details of her grown children's lives, the approaching wedding of her grandchild—yet her distant past is miraculously preserved in her mind's eye. Vivid images of her youth in war-torn Leningrad arise unbidden, carrying her back to the terrible fall of 1941, when she was a tour guide at the Hermitage Museum and the German army's approach signaled the beginning of what would be a long, torturous siege on the city. As the people braved starvation, bitter cold, and a relentless German onslaught, Marina joined other staff members in removing the museum's priceless masterpieces for safekeeping, leaving the frames hanging empty on the walls to symbolize the artworks' eventual return. As the Luftwaffe's bombs pounded the proud, stricken city, Marina built a personal Hermitage in her mind—a refuge that would stay buried deep within her, until she needed it once more. . . .

Published on the occasion of Manifesta 10, the European Biennial of Contemporary Art in St. Petersburg, Russia, this illustrated volume collects artworks, concepts, and essays that invite the reader to explore the possibilities of contemporary art in deeply historical settings. For the first time, Manifesta is hosted by a museum, uniting the State Heritage Museum's 250th anniversary and Manifesta's twentieth anniversary as a nomadic biennial. This book, which is structured like a classic catologue, reflects the intuitive and playful nature of Kasper Konig's exhibition. Contemporary art stands alongside the historical and cultural heritage of the Hermitage, and many projects create a unique homage to it and to the city of St. Petersburg. New works claim their place in ways that are often subtle and surprising, inviting viewers and readers to grapple with the endless ways in which contemporary art questions, complements, or even dovetails with tradition.

In ancient Egypt, cats were sacred animals, with the goddess Bastet often depicted in cat form, sometimes taking on the war-like aspect of a lioness. The Romans are often credited with introducing the domestic cat from Egypt to Europe. Several ancient religions believed cats are exalted souls, companions or guides for humans, that are all-knowing but mute so they cannot influence decisions made by humans. In Japan, the maneki neko cat is a symbol of good fortune. Their hidden talents and capabilities are spoken of in the secret language of symbols and allegories. It is aimed at everyone who has a soft spot for our four-legged friends and is inclined to think of the cat as much more than just a "domestic animal."

A tribute to the most famous modern Flemish painter. Fabre has created a number of new works especially for this exhibition displaying more than two hundred.Jan Fabre (Antwerp, 1958) is an artist and a director and uses his works to speculate in a loud and tangible manner about life and death, physical and social transformations as well as the nature of cruelty, which is present in both animals and humans. As a grandson of a famous entomologist, Jan Fabre widely uses wildlife aesthetics. He uses beetle shells, animal skeletons and horns as well as stuffed animals and images of animals in various materials. The list of unusual materials goes beyond that and covers blood and BIC blue ink. As emphasized by the painter and acknowledged by critics and researchers, his art goes back to the traditions of classic Flemish art, which he admires: Peter Paul Rubens and Jacob Jordaens are his main inspiration.

Almost from the beginning of art, humans have portrayed cats. The animal originally domesticated for the humble purpose of catching mice was already a goddess in ancient Egypt and a beloved household pet in ancient Rome. Throughout history, cats have been a beautiful vessel for symbolic meanings, ranging from dark unruly sensuality to perfect domestic tranquillity. In this book, cats inhabit 170 art masterpieces. Sometimes they are the stars of the work and sometimes they are working their magic from the corners of rooms (in which case both the whole work and a detail showing the cat are both illustrated). Here are paintings by Van Eyck, Raphael, Leonardo, Bruegel, Rembrandt, Chardin, Gainsborough, Manet, Renoir, Bonnard, Gauguin, Matisse, Balthus, Picasso, Warhol and many other famous artists. Stefano Zuffi's charming text tells us what it all means. The cats, meanwhile, are beautiful, seductive and mysterious.