More than a ten years ago, Utah high school art teacher Patrick Eddington embarked on an ambitious project in which he asked famous artists and writers to create original artworks of cats. He planned to exhibit all the paintings and drawings he collected, and to eventually publish them in a book.
Eddington, known by friends as “Pat the Cat,” amassed an impressive collection of cat art. He wrote in a 2004 letter:
“This project is a labor of love. It will culminate as a large book and traveling exhibition. It will also help Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. I’ve asked individuals I admire to create cat-related works. They are not the typical cat images but creative works.”
Sadly, though, Pat the Cat never completed his project. Now, months after his death, the collection of art was auctioned off at Quinn’s Auction Galleries, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting Best Friends Animal Society in Kanab, Utah, just as he’d wished. The 245-lot auction included artwork of various media and styles. Most are original, one-of-a-kind creative works, including several ceramic, cat-faced jugs that Eddington made himself.
With so many different artists, styles, and media, there was something for everyone in this collection:
See the rest of Pat the Cat’s massive collection at Quinn’s Auction Galleries.