Das Gemälde zeigt eine Figur mit einem katzenähnlichen Kopf, die unter einem Regenschirm steht, während dicke Farbtropfen von einer pastos gemalten Wolke herabfallen. Die Szene spielt sich in einer grünen, wellenartigen Umgebung ab und wirkt träumerisch und surreal.

Nicole Eisenman

Cat Walking Under a Disambiguous Trash Cloud, 2017

MaterialOil, magazine clipping printed using offset print on canvas
Dimensions40.6 x 32.4 cm
Year of acquisition2018
Inventory numberUAB 1092
On viewOn view
Copyright© Nicole Eisenman. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth
Photo: Haydar Koyupinar, Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen, Museum Brandhorst, Munich

More about the artwork

Nicole Eisenman’s work is often described as the history painting of our time. The artist is known for using a form of estranged realism to capture contemporary social situations and collective moods. “Cat Walking Under a Disambiguous Trash Cloud” reflects Eisenman’s interest in blending the everyday with the absurd, a strategy she frequently uses for commenting on social realities with humor and wit. At the same time, the collage’s comic-like visual language hints at references to pop-cultural imagery. The protagonist here is a cat—yet, unlike in many of Eisenman’s other works, it is not engaged in typical feline activities. Instead, it walks upright along a beach, holding an umbrella for protection against the mysterious, lumpy precipitation pouring down from a cloud. While the title identifies it as a “disambiguous trash cloud,” this part of the image is rendered in an abstract and nonfigurative way—an ironic play on the porous boundary between metaphor and reality, allowing Eisenman’s characteristic humor to shine through.