Animals Who Create Amazing Artwork

While researching amazing animal artists, I came across amazing animal artists…who are actually animals. Clearly this justified an entire post dedicated to animal artists—of the non-human variety.

Most animal artists seem to work in the Abstract Expressionism subgenre of Action Painting. They paint with their fingers or by holding brushes in their mouths or trunks. They walk across the canvases with (non-toxic) paint on their paws, roll their paint-covered bodies around, or flick paint with their tails, not unlike techniques used by many action painters.(Honestly, can you tell the difference between this and this? Neither can some other people.)

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Many zoos and wildlife organizations have utilized painting as a behavioral enrichment activity for their animals, although at least one study of elephants did not show that painting was sufficiently enriching. But some animals seem to enjoy creating art (and the positive reinforcement they receive), and selling animal paintings can help organizations raise necessary funds—while buyers have another way to feel connected to the animals they love.

But be wary of animal art that looks highly organized (as opposed to abstract). Animal welfare groups believe that cruel training practices have been used to make elephants paint depictions of flowers, trees, and elephants. Art that seems to display an animal’s intelligence likely has more to do with the the trainer’s skill (or force) than any sort of genuine creativity.

So, who owns the copyright to these paintings? Although humans typically assist the animal artists by preparing canvases and choosing paints and brushes, the U.S. Copyright Office does not grant copyright protection to artwork created by animals.

Some of the Most Famous Animal Artists

• Congo the Chimpanzee was born in 1954 and learned to draw around the age of two. He made regular appearances on the British TV series Zoo Time, and quickly became a prolific animal artist who sold hundreds of paintings and had counted Pablo Picasso among his fans. Congo died in 1964 of tuberculosis, but his paintings continued to sell for decades. In 2019, he had his own solo show at the Mayor Gallery in London.
• Ruby the Elephant was shipped to the Phoenix Zoo from Thailand in 1974 when she was 7-months-old. When her trainers saw her making marks in the dirt with a stick, they encouraged her to take up painting. She took to the activity and even chose her own paint colors (though it was unclear how well she could distinguish colors). Her paintings raised $500,000 for the zoo, with one painting going for $25,000. Sadly, she died in 1998 at age 25 when her uterine wall ruptured while she was pregnant with a calf.
• Pockets Warhol is a capuchin monkey who began painting at the Story Book Farm Primate Sanctuary in Ontario as a form of rehabilitation. Pockets became so well-known that the sale of his paintings helped to keep the primate sanctuary solvent. Watch his story on YouTube and buy one of his paintings here. Follow Pockets on Instagram @pocketswarhol.
• Bini the Bunny is eight years old and a multi-talented viral sensation with 210,000 YouTube subscribers. He’s also a Guinness World Record Holder (for the most slam dunks by a rabbit in one minute). You can watch him paint here and play basketball here. Check out Bini’s YouTube channel, buy his paintings (and other merch), and follow him on Instagram @binithebunny.

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Art by animals at the Houston Zoo.

More Animals Making Art

• Chance the Dolphin paints at the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies with the assistance of animal trailer Lisa Crawford.
• Penguins at the St. Louis Zoo step in paint and walk across paper as an enrichment exercise to provide variety and satisfy their innate curiosity.
• There are lots of animal artists at the Smithsonian National Zoo, including an armadillo, naked mole rats, orangutans, and sloth bears.
• Enjoy this delightful image gallery of animals painting for the 2013 Zoo Miami “Savage” Exhibition. Animal artists include a tree kangaroo, rhino, elephant, otter, and crocodile.
• A fun slideshow challenge to guess which animals at the Houston Zoo created these vibrant and abstract works of art.

Zoos and Wildlife Organizations With Animal Artwork for Sale

• The New Mexico Biopark Society has a Webstore Gallery with art made by reptiles, birds, cats, elephants, gorillas, hippos, insects and arthropods, penguins, orangutans, rhinos, river others, and more! Proceeds from each painting directly support the artist’s area at the Albuquerque BioPark.
• The Houston Zoo offers paintings by Asian elephants, cheetahs, Berani the tiger, Shasta the cougar, George the white rhino, sea lions, goats, and meerkats. Their online store states that “every purchase helps save animals in the wild.”
• The Saint Louis Zoo uses painting as an enrichment activity for their animals. Their website offers paintings by penguins, primates, insects, sea lions, reptiles and amphibians, rhinos and hippos. Sales of the animal artwork benefit the St. Louis Chapter of American Association of Zoo Keepers.
• The Cincinnati Zoo currently offers animal art made by elephants and rhinos. The money raised from artwork sales helps the Zoo support conservation initiatives for elephants and rhinos.
• Wildlife Safari in Oregon has art for sale by their animals, including elephants, lions, and cheetahs.