The Cat Cabinet is a collection of artworks whose subject is the cat. The collection shows cats in art and culture through time. This museum is a cat-fancier’s paradise where drawings of Japanese artist Tsugouharu Foujita (1886-1968) go hand in hand (or hand in paw) with the paintings of Russian artist Nicolas Tarkhoff (1871-1930). Of Tarkhoff’s pieces, I particularly liked "Kat op rood Kussen", or "Cat on Red Cushion", which shows a sleepy black cat regally reclining on a plush red cushion. Another favorite of mine was a Picasso piece, "Le Chat"(The Cat), dated 1942.
Katten Kabinet has modern cats, classical cats; cats in every guise from snuff bottles, pipes, and figurines, and in materials from ivory to stone, bronze, textile and ceramic. A life-size female figure wears the costume of Grizabella from the musical, "Cats". My vote for "most cat-astrophic" goes to the cat skin reposing in a glass case. This feline had obviously come to the end of all his nine lives. Nearby a live cat snoozed in a sunny spot on the sofa. I pointed out the unhappy end one of his predecessors had met. With a feline’s usual disdain he ignored me and went back to catnapping.
The building housing this sometimes-kitschy cat collection is a lovely old place on the Herengracht, which dates from 1620. Visitors can buy postcards, posters and other souvenirs in forms feline at the small gift shop/gallery. For more information, check out the website, www.kattenkabinet.nl. To get to the Katten Kabinet, take tram 16, 24 or 25; get off at the Keizersgracht stop.
Hours: Mon-Fri 9am-2pm; Sat and Sun 1-5pm.
Telephone: +31 (0)20 626 5378
Fax:+31 (0)20 626 6764