Vienna Paints Cats Into Famed Art To Invite Visitors To View Real Masterpieces

No, the series of cat-themed artworks generated by artificial intelligence that’s been making the rounds online wasn’t started by a feline enthusiast. Stranger still, the remakes of Austria’s most famous paintings were created by the Vienna Tourism Board itself.

The clever campaign hopes to draw viewers’ attention by featuring the internet’s most beloved animal in place of characters in renowned art pieces, before asking visitors to travel to Vienna to “see the art behind AI art.”

Tourism Board CEO, Norbert Kettner, said in a press release that the city—known for its numerous art museums and notable works—wanted to remind travelers of the artists that made AI generators such as Midjourney or DALL-E possible in the first place.

Risking the same backlash that has befallen other cultural institutions that have started us AI-generated images, such as the San Francisco Ballet and Netherlands’ Mauritshuis, the various images called upon masters of the craft on a first-name basis.

“Sorry Egon, but your art made AI art possible,” the cheeky caption read on a Schiele-style image.

Alongside the cat images, the organization is releasing a video where art expert Markus Hübl will introduce the city’s most famous masterpieces of the world, including works by Schiele, Klimt, and Bruegel, before humorously offering a “scholarly analysis” of the AI-generated remakes. 

“There are more than 100 museums to discover in Vienna. While cats are (unfortunately) not allowed, you can still see the original works behind the art of artificial intelligence in the real world,” the campaign concluded.

[via Artnet News and Finestre sull’Arte, images via Vienna Tourism Board]