Dignified felines have been featured in countless styles of art throughout history, but in my totally unbiased opinion they are best represented in mid-century modern cat art.
The swanky era of Sputniks and martinis was a perfect match for the posh kitties that we love.
So I’m happy to report that mid-century style cat art is still readily available today. Here’s a look at what it is, who still makes it, and where you can track down your own mod cat paintings.
Note: This article contains affiliate links. See my disclosures for details.
About Mid-Century Modern Cat Art
Mid-century cats go by many names. I usually call them mod cats. They’re also referred to as retro cats or atomic kitties, since they’re sometimes painted with Sputniks and starbursts from the atomic era.
These are the features you’ll usually find in mid-century cat paintings (but, in true cat form, they don’t always follow the “rules”).
- Abstract Cat Bodies: They may have bowling pin bodies, long skinny necks, or spiky legs in a sort of “H” shape. Some have football heads, while others have crescent moon heads.
- Mid-Century Shapes: Sometimes they share the canvas with other mid-mod shapes, like boomerangs or diamonds.
- Retro Colors: Look for fun colors, like orange, aqua, yellow, lime and pink.
Meet Today’s Atomic Cat Artists
El Gato Gomez
El Gato Gomez paints atomic space cats and even a few tiki-loving mer-kitties, like this sweetheart. And her Christmas cat paintings are PRECIOUS.
Donna Mibus
You’ll find the Donna Mibus mod cats lounging in all sorts of mid-century scenes. They love tikis, bubble lamps and bullet planters. I’m the proud owner of the Donna Mibus painting seen here, and my cats are big fans.
More: See how I display mod kitty decor in my cat-themed guest room
Jeffrey Coleson
Jeffrey Coleson’s mod cats are decidedly playful and mischievous, with whimsically curvy tails and innocent over-sized eyes, like this. Sometimes the kitties even get a crown, like Princess here. She looks right at home in her mid-century chair.
DexMex – Mike and Barb Dexter
DexMex has hundreds of mid-century cat prints, with felines owning every room in the house. There are cats in the office, the garden, the laundry room, and even coffee-loving cats for the kitchen. I love this colorful print for the office or living room.
ModerncreatByHeather – Heather Ross
Heather Ross creates handmade cat art using scrapbooking paper. Her mod kitties (and a few pups) can be found posing by pumpkins, getting into trouble in the kitchen or celebrating the holidays in mid-century style. If you see one you like, snatch it up, because these cats are one-of-a-kind.
Sk8ghost – Tina Lawing
Sk8ghost’s mid-century kitties have an industrial vibe and are sometimes pictured with cityscapes and retro stars. The original canvas paintings come in a variety of colors and sizes, including mini canvases for smaller spaces or budgets.
Shag – Josh Agle
Shag creates all sorts of limited-edition Palm Springs style prints, including several mod cat options. These cats are fabulous.
Art of Scooter – Scott “Scooter” Burroughs
Scooter creates cat prints and paintings in all your favorite mid-century colors. His cats can be seen exploring space, playing some vinyl and getting up to no good.
Where to Find Mid-Century Modern Cat Art
Many of the above artists have online stores you can check out, and some have products on Amazon, too.
Mid-Century Cat Art
If you’re feeling creative, you can also make a custom mid-century style painting based on your own atomic kitties.
- DIY mod cat painting tutorial (easy guide!)
- Make your own Christmas cat painting
- Printable mod cat art for autumn
- Printable mod cat art for “Catmas”
WOW! I never realized there were so many artists that painted the mid-century kitties. It was fun checking them all out! (I do believe the “Tara Besore cat art” owns up to these totally!!) I think you should do one with a tiki or two in it for the tiki-bar room! It looked also like there were types of kitty art for any room someone might want to make into a cat-themed room. ( I thought the one with the 3 mid-century ladies would look awesome in the mid-century kitchen. 🙂 ) Great fun blog!!
I was surprised to see how many MCM cat artists there are. I discovered a bunch of new paintings I need to add to my collection! I’m currently hunting down tiki decor, and I love the idea of a DIY tiki cat painting…I will have to see what I can come up with. 🙂
Hello, I loved your article, and the cats that you left us to create our own art. But now I would like to see the original atomic cats, as much as I search, I can’t find the ones that were originally painted, I only find the modern versions, I would like to know some names of artists from that time and see their original work. Excuse me if I have made a mistake when writing or what I am saying is not well understood, but I hardly speak English, so I used a translator. Greetings from Venezuela and thanks for what you share, I love cats, I love mid-century modern style and I love your blog.
Hi Angela, thanks for your nice comment! I’m glad you like the blog. I also want to learn more about the original mid-century cats and artists, but I haven’t been able to find much information yet. I do have some wooden mid-century cat art from the time, but I don’t know who the artist was: https://www.hammerandaheadband.com/frame-wooden-cat-art/
Perhaps she is referring to the Sexton cats, a trio of painted metal sculptures of Siamese “atomic cats”. They are a challenge to find and not inexpensive even for the ones that need to be refinished.
Good suggestion, thanks! Do you know the name or artist for the similar style wooden cats like these? https://www.hammerandaheadband.com/frame-wooden-cat-art/