Famous cat paintings and prints

Cats have been turning up in remarkable art for centuries. This gallery brings together favorites by Renoir, Steinlen, Louis Wain, Kuniyoshi, Franz Marc, and others. In Purrfecto, each artwork becomes a puzzle, followed by a short note about the art and a little commentary from the cat.

A gallery for people who love cats and art

Some people come to Purrfecto because they love cats. Others recognize a favorite artist or want to discover paintings they have never seen before. The fun is where those interests meet: seeing how artists from different centuries and countries captured the expressions, poses, and personalities cat lovers know so well.

We chose works we genuinely wanted to spend time with, from quiet domestic scenes to bold posters and playful Japanese prints. This page shares a few favorites from the app. If one catches your eye, you can find it in Purrfecto and put it together piece by piece.

Girl and Cat by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, 1882

Impressionism · 1882

Girl and Cat

Pierre-Auguste Renoir

A quiet moment of curiosity: the girl watches while the cat rises toward a plant. Renoir’s loose color and soft edges make the interaction feel caught in motion.

Le Chat Noir poster by Theophile Steinlen, 1896

Art Nouveau · 1896

Le Chat Noir

Théophile Steinlen

Steinlen’s black cat became an emblem of Montmartre nightlife. The frontal silhouette and halo-like red disk were designed to read instantly on the street.

Cat Study by Louis Wain, around 1890

Victorian cat art · c. 1890

Cat Study

Louis Wain

Wain is closely associated with expressive cat pictures. This study gives the animal enough character to feel like a portrait rather than a generic illustration.

Four Cats in Different Poses by Utagawa Kuniyoshi, around 1830

Japanese woodblock print · c. 1830

Four Cats in Different Poses

Utagawa Kuniyoshi

Four cats become a compact study of posture and personality. The varied poses reward close looking, which also makes the print a lively puzzle image.

Girl with Cat II by Franz Marc, 1912

Expressionism · 1912

Girl with Cat II

Franz Marc

Marc builds the girl and cat from flowing shapes and saturated color. Their forms echo one another, turning a simple embrace into a study of human-animal harmony.

Woman with a Cat by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, 1875

Impressionism · 1875

Woman with a Cat

Pierre-Auguste Renoir

The cat adds warmth, weight, and domestic intimacy to the portrait. Renoir blends figure and animal through soft brushwork and shimmering color.

Black Cat and Tomato Plant by Takahashi Hiroaki, 1931

Japanese woodblock print · 1931

Black Cat and Tomato Plant

Takahashi Hiroaki

The poised black cat and curling plant create a crisp, decorative rhythm. The scene also captures a familiar feline state: complete stillness before a pounce.

A Cat Stealing Fish by Giuseppe Recco, 1660s

Baroque · 1660s

A Cat Stealing Fish

Giuseppe Recco

A still life becomes a miniature drama when the cat raids the seafood. The animal interrupts careful display with movement, appetite, and comic disorder.

Ginger Cat by Clementine Nielssen, around 1880

Cat portrait · c. 1880

Ginger Cat

Clementine Nielssen

The cat is the unmistakable subject, presented with the attention normally reserved for a formal sitter. Fur, gaze, and posture carry the portrait.

The cat art that inspired the game

Purrfecto is a puzzle game for people who love cats and art. The collection moves from quiet domestic scenes to theatrical posters, Japanese prints, Victorian cat portraits, and Baroque mischief.

The paintings are grouped into collections from France, Italy, Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and beyond. Solving them is meant to be an enjoyable way to look closely at art you already love, or to meet an artist or painting for the first time.

About this cat art collection

The titles, artists, dates, and short notes here come from the catalog used in Purrfecto. Dates marked with “c.” are approximate. This is only a small selection from the app, and we continue adding cat paintings and prints as the collection grows.

Piece together famous cat art.

Download Purrfecto for free on iPhone or iPad.