Animal Muse Open Call 2026
Exhibition and sales opportunity for artists
From Louise Bourgeois’s spiders to Paula Rego’s Dog Woman series, Picasso’s Bull’s Head to Leonora Carrington’s Cat Without Boots, artists have long looked to animals for more than representation.
Animal Muse invites artists to take the animal as a point of departure. We are looking for work with a strong point of view: work that pushes the boundaries of its medium and stretches the limits of the theme. The animal may be present, implied, embodied, symbolic or entirely reimagined.
Whether your interpretation is figurative, abstract, conceptual or experimental, we want to see what you have to say.
The opportunity
Animal Muse is a curated online exhibition and retail opportunity, presented by Aperio Gallery from 18 November – 31 December 2026.
Selected artists will receive:
- Inclusion in the curated Animal Muse online exhibition
- Artwork available for collectors to view and purchase through Aperio Gallery
- Inclusion in the Animal Muse exhibition catalogue
- Promotion through Aperio Gallery’s digital advertising and social media channels
- Continued visibility on Aperio Gallery beyond the exhibition dates
- Consideration for ongoing representation with Aperio Gallery and future curated exhibitions
Aperio may also invite an outstanding participating artist to develop a future solo online exhibition with the gallery.
Who can apply?
Animal Muse is open internationally to emerging and established artists aged 18 and over.
Eligible mediums: painting, drawing, photography, printmaking, sculpture, textiles and mixed media.
All submitted works must be available for sale.
Entry and exhibition fee
Entry is free.
Artists selected for the exhibition are required to pay a €15 exhibition fee. There is no charge for artists who are not selected.
How to submit
Artists may submit up to three works for consideration.
For each work, please provide the title, medium, dimensions, year, sale price and a high-quality image. You will also be asked to provide a short artist biography and artist statement.
For sculpture and other three-dimensional work, additional views may be submitted. Video and moving-image artists should provide a link to the work.
Selection and notification
Works will be selected by Aperio Gallery with particular consideration given to artistic quality, individual voice, strength of interpretation and the relationship between the work and the exhibition as a whole.
If you are selected for the exhibition, or you are on the reserve list, we will contact you by email. Due to the number of applications we receive, we may not be able to contact unsuccessful applicants individually.
Important dates
Entries close: 5 November 2026
Selected artists notified by: 9 November 2026
Exhibition: 18 November – 31 December 2026
Sales
Selected works will be listed for sale through Aperio Gallery for the duration of the exhibition.
Artists retain copyright and ownership of their work until sold. Aperio Gallery takes a 20% commission on the artwork sale price.
Selected artists are responsible for packing and shipping sold work. See open call Terms & Conditions