Berlin

Pup art

Can't go anywhere without your mutt? Walk your dog to Kupferstichkabinett’s summer exhibition Wir kommen auf den Hund!, showcasing man's relationship with the most amiable of quadrupeds over the last 10 centuries. Furry friends can go through Sep 17.

Image for Pup art
Photo by Maciej Lenartowicz

People bring their dogs everywhere in Berlin, so why not to an art show – one dedicated entirely to man’s best friend?

Kupferstichkabinett’s summer exhibition Wir kommen auf den Hund! (Gone to the dogs) covers 10 centuries of canines in art.

The whole experience becomes a ‘spot-the-doggy’ game. In original prints, sketches and drawings from Kupferstichkabinett’s vast collection, you’ll encounter dogs by Rembrandt, Golden Age dogs in the Annunciation scene, dogs running alongside medieval knights, pop-art dogs and Cubist dogs with their tails detached from their bodies.

You can of course bring your own dog on a guided tour of the show (€4 on top of the €6 entrance price, water and treats provided) – or, if you don’t have one of your own, tag along for a vicarious doggy fix.

We saw pups of all sizes, from shaggy sheepdogs to teacup Chihuahuas, though the jury’s out on whether they recognised their canine brethren in the paintings on display. In fact, some of them spent most of the tour lying down. We’re not sure whether they’d rather have been outside or whether they were just dog tired.

Wir kommen auf den Hund!, Kupferstichkabinett, Matthäikirchplatz, Tiergarten, S+U-BhfPotsdamer Platz, Tue-Fri 10-18, Sat-Sun 11-18, regular exhibition through Sep 20, dog tours Sep 15, 16, 17