Germany has built an art exhibition around its most famous short dog. “The Dachshund: An Icon off the Leash” opened Saturday at the Kunsthalle Bremen with about 120 works, and the museum believes it is the first show anywhere devoted to the dachshund in art rather than dogs in general.
The lineup is not a novelty act. Picasso, Andy Warhol, David Hockney, Otto Dix and Max Liebermann all owned, drew or painted dachshunds, and the show traces how a badger-hunting dog from German forests became a muse for modern artists. There are paintings, photographs, video, a pile of stuffed toy dachshunds, and objects on loan from the Dachshund Museum in Regensburg. Director Christoph Grunenberg described the breed as “like a muse,” with an enormous range of representations by serious artists.
It runs until March 28, 2027, so there is time to plan.
Owners will care about this part. On Thursdays and Saturdays, for a few hours, the museum opens three of its eight rooms to dachshunds and other small dogs. Not service dogs only. Pets, sniffing the galleries.
What this means for your dog: if you are anywhere near Bremen, the dog hours are worth building a trip around, but confirm the exact times with the museum before you book, since they can shift. Bring a short leash and a dog who tolerates crowds and echoing rooms. A dachshund on a hard museum floor is one jump from a back injury, so keep all four feet down and skip the benches. If your dog startles at strangers and noise, sit this one out. He does not need art. You do, and you can go without him.