In 1999, Judy Chicago – an ardent cat lover – undertook a focused study about the history of the feline species. The resulting watercolor series took many years to execute, in part because the images had to be carefully constructed; cats are notoriously difficult to draw because they’re only still when they are asleep. The series – which was collected in a book published in 2005 – is based upon a traditional book of hours (medieval devotional books). Chicago’s watercolors are also ‘devotional’ but they express her devotion to the family of cats with whom she and her husband reside. Delightful yet poignant, these images reveal the individuality of the many felines with whom the couple have lived, demonstrating Judy Chicago’s concern for all living creatures, human and non-human alike.
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Judy Chicago, Ca(ts)st of Characters from Kitty City, 1999, watercolor, white tempera and gouache on Arches, 22 x 30 in. © Judy Chicago/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York Photo © Donald Woodman/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Judy Chicago, 6 AM: Cat Alarm Clocks from Kitty City, 2000, watercolor on Arches, 22 x 30 in. © Judy Chicago/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York Photo © Donald Woodman/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Judy Chicago, 7 AM: Chowtime from Kitty City, 2000, watercolor on Arches, 22 x 30 in. © Judy Chicago/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York Photo © Donald Woodman/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Judy Chicago, 8 AM: Kitty Clean Up from Kitty City, 2000, watercolor on Arches, 22 x 30 in. © Judy Chicago/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York Photo © Donald Woodman/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Judy Chicago, detail from Noon: Cat Naps with the memory of Poppy from Kitty City, 2001 © Judy Chicago/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York Photo © Donald Woodman/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Judy Chicago, detail from New Kids on the Block from Kitty City, 2001 © Judy Chicago/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York Photo © Donald Woodman/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Judy Chicago, 5 PM: Going to the Gym from Kitty City, 2001, watercolor on Arches, 22 x 30 in. © Judy Chicago/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York Photo © Donald Woodman/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Judy Chicago, detail from 6 PM: Cute Tricks from Kitty City, 2001, watercolor on Arches. © Judy Chicago/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York Photo © Donald Woodman/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Judy Chicago, detail from 6 PM: Cute Tricks from Kitty City, 2001, watercolor on Arches. © Judy Chicago/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York Photo © Donald Woodman/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Judy Chicago, Irreconcilable Differences from Kitty City, 2003, watercolor on Arches, 22 x 30 in. © Judy Chicago/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York Photo © Donald Woodman/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Judy Chicago, 7 PM: Ready for Dinner from Kitty City, 2001, watercolor on Arches, 22 x 30 in. © Judy Chicago/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York Photo © Donald Woodman/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Judy Chicago, 10 PM: Attention Please from Kitty City, 2003, watercolor on Arches, 22 x 30 in. © Judy Chicago/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York Photo © Donald Woodman/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Judy Chicago, 3 AM: Wake Up, We're Hungry from Kitty City, 2003, watercolor on Arches, 22 x 30 in. © Judy Chicago/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York Photo © Donald Woodman/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Judy Chicago, 4 AM: Growing Up is Hard to Do from Kitty City, 2003, watercolor on Arches, 22 x 30 in. © Judy Chicago/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York Photo © Donald Woodman/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Judy Chicago, 5 AM: Home is Where the Cats are from Kitty City, 2003, watercolor on Arches, 22 x 30 in. © Judy Chicago/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York Photo © Donald Woodman/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Judy Chicago, Self Portrait as My Six Cats, 1999, watercolor, installed size: 38.5 x 27.5 x 1 in. © Judy Chicago/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York Photo © Donald Woodman/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Judy Chicago, detail from Self Portrait as My Six Cats, 1999, watercolor. © Judy Chicago/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York Photo © Donald Woodman/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Judy Chicago, detail from Self Portrait as My Six Cats from Kitty City, 1999, watercolor. © Judy Chicago/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York Photo © Donald Woodman/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Judy Chicago, detail from I Wish I Were a Cat, 2002, watercolor and Prismacolor on paper © Judy Chicago/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York Photo © Donald Woodman/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
