CATS IN ART CONTEMPORARYWhere ever there is art there must be cats. At the dawn of civilization, the catposed willingly as ancient Egyptians captured its noble feline features insculptures and paintings. Through the centuries, felines continued to grace thecanvasesof thegreatest artistsandtodaystwenty-rst centurycatsarenodi!erent. Whether "itsch or surreal, inscrutable felines are not only ubi#uitouslypresent inpaintings residinginsomeof themost prestigious galleries andmuseums in the world, but also in some of the most common local boo"storesand supermar"ets. The art of the cat crosses both intellectual and socio-economiclines to appeal to all.Whether viewed as a symbol or $ust as a cuddly cute "ittyno one can deny the importance of the cat in art.%arl &ung would certainly agreethat the cat is entwined within the collective human consciousness, and becauseof this, will endure and thrive by our sides and in our art in the centuries to come.Diane Hoeptner (American)'iane (oeptner cats in art, cats in contemporary art, cat paintings'iane(oeptner grew up in rural )hio.*he moved to +.A. in the ,-s and stayed for ./years. 'uringthat time, shecompleteda0Ain*tudioArts at %A+ *tate1orthridge and later en$oyed wor" as an animator for video games and lm.*heisbest"nownforhercat paintingswhichhavebeenfeaturedin2odern%at2agazineandTheArtists 2agazine. (er 3oral art hasbeendistributedasposters and cards by Wild Apple 4raphics, American 4reetings and %urrent 51%.*he maintains a blog that has been rated by 0log 6an" and Ale7a as one of thetop /8 on the internet. 'iane currently resides 9bac" home: in )hio with herhusband and a cat named %oco. Jane Lewi (!riti")The painter and print-ma"er &ane +ewis has devoted much of her life to the visualarts. *herststudiedat(ornsey%ollegeof ArtandthenlateratThe*lade,where she won The *lade ;rize in .