Animal Instinct

Animal Instinct illustrates a diverse collection of animal imagery from Telfair Museums’ permanent collection, focusing on artistic expressions from the early 20th century to the present day and asking viewers to reflect on their own connections to animals, both at home and in the wild. Several of the works in the exhibition tap into the human desire to anthropomorphize, while others explore the enduring emotional bonds forged between human and animal.

Although scientifically categorized as part of the animal kingdom, humans are distinguished among creatures living today by their ability to question the world they inhabit through various complex means, including refined artistry. Animal depictions in art can be traced back to prehistoric times as seen in the famous paintings of animals on cave walls at Lascaux, France. An overarching theme of this exhibition is that animals offer a mirror to ourselves, raising questions of what it means to be human, what it means to be animal, and how these different beings exist in the same world.