The trend of miniature museums has launched. It all started with the initiative of curator Filippo Lorenzin and artist Marianna Benetti, a London couple tired of being confined, who devoted themselves to the reconstruction of a miniature museum for their two gerbils, Pandoro and Tiramisu.
Benches, brochures, labels, stools for staff, signs… they’re all there. The collection is made up of several masterpieces of the rodent variety, such as Gustav Klimt’s The Kiss, Leonardo da Vinci’s The Mona Lisa, Edvard Munch’s The Scream, and even Johannes Vermeer’s The Girl with a Pearl Earring.
Pandoro and Tiramisu are enjoying this exhibition in both senses of the word. Despite the presence of a display board reading ‘Please do not chew’, the two visitors did not follow the instructions, first attacking the chair, before moving on to the paintings.
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The couple claim that the materials used (wood, paper and cardboard) are suitable for rodents. The video of the two gerbils discovering their new museum space was posted on the platform Reddit and met with immediate success. The creators of the miniature project have stated that they may add additional works to the collection.
It didn’t take long before other miniature museums popped up, including one for a five-year-old gecko named The Mayor. The Mayor can admire the reptilian versions of The Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli, American Gothic by Grant Wood, or again The Girl with a Pearl Earring and The Scream.
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The last mini museum is that for Bubba, the turtle of the daughter of footballer George Foster. Even if the brushstrokes are less precise, there is still The Kiss, The Great Wave off Kanagawa by Katsushika Hokusai, and The Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh.
It would seem that these miniature museums push the limits of creation while benefiting faithful companions. It remains to be seen what amazing species will next get a dedicated miniature museum.
