External | Artnet : Stir Crazy Already? Feast Your Eyes on 20 Works of Art That Celebrate the Joys of Being at Home

Stay healthy and enjoy these cozy artworks from the comfort of your own home.

Sarah Cascone, March 13, 2020

Aliza Nisenbaum, Kayhan reading the New York Times (Resistance Begins at Home) (2017). Courtesy the artist, Anton Kern Gallery, and Mary Mary. ©Aliza Nisenbaum.

As the global health crisis continues to heighten, we may be all be looking at spending quite a bit of time at home and indoors in the coming days—or maybe longer.

With New York City instituting a ban on gatherings of more than 500 people and many offices enacting work-from- home policies, that reality is already here for many in the Metropolitan area.

If the idea of not being able to leave the house makes you stir crazy, we’ve put together a selection of artworks to set your mind at ease. Each of these works—some historical, some contemporary—serves as a reminder of the quietly enjoyable ways of passing time of home, such as reading a book, playing board games, and indulging in a midnight snack.

Although it may feel isolating, staying in is at least a sure-fire way to keep from getting sick, or passing the illness on to those who are most vulnerable. Wishing everyone good health—or a speedy recovery—in these trying times.

Pierre Bonnard, Nude in the Bath (1925)

Pierre Bonnard, Nude in the Bath (1925). Courtesy of the Tate.

Pierre Bonnard’s muse Marthe bathed to soothe herself during a longstanding illness. You too may want to try a nice long soak in the tub, as in Bonnard’s Nude in the Bath at the Tate in London.

March Avery, Bedtime Story (1989)

March Avery, Bedtime Story (1989). ©March Avery, courtesy of the artist and Blum & Poe, Los Angeles/New York/Tokyo.

This intimate March Avery painting reminds us why it’s always important to read to your kids. (We also couldn’t think of any great paintings of children glued to their iPad.)

Rosemarie Trockel, Living Means Not Good Enough (2002)

Rosemarie Trockel, Living Means Not Good Enough (2002). Photo courtesy of the artist and Sprüth Magers, Berlin. ©Rosemarie Trockel.

If you’re anything like the subject of this Rosemarie Trockel photograph, we’re guessing you’ve already got quite a backlog of reading material to work through.

Aliza Nisenbaum, La Talaverita, Sunday Morning NY Times(2016)

Aliza Nisenbaum, La Talaverita, Sunday Morning NY Times (2016). Courtesy of the artist, Anton Kern Gallery, and Mary Mary. ©Aliza Nisenbaum.

In these uncertain times, it’s important to stay up to date on current events. But can we suggest curling up with the Sunday Times, rather than the maelstrom that is cable news? These pieces by Aliza Nisenbaum—this one and the one at top—both from last year’s Whitney Biennial, makes a lazy weekend morning at home look practically idyllic.

Shona McAndrew, Asia (2019)

Shona McAndrew, Asia (2019). Courtesy of Chart, New York.

If you’re holing up in your apartment this weekend, consider the freeing possibilities of lounging in your underwear. Another plus side? Easy access to the fridge. Shona McAndrew’s beautifully detailed late-night scene shows a fully-stocked larder—probably belonging to one who braved those shopping market lines before settling in for the long haul.

Jan Steen, Woman at Her Toilet (1663)

Jan Steen, Woman at Her Toilet (1663). Courtesy of Buckingham Palace.

Like this Jan Steen scene at Buckingham Palace, we’ll all probably lounge around in a state of partial undress, bed unmade and belongings scattered about our increasingly untidy homes.

David Hockney, My Parents (1977)

David Hockney, My Parents (1977). © David Hockney, photo by Jack Taylor/Getty Images.

David Hockney’s famous 1977 canvas of his parents, housed at the Tate in London, presents a quiet domestic moment, a long-married couple enjoying their golden years. It’s also a reminder that we don’t have to wear pajamas and sweatpants the whole time we’re home.

Mary Cassatt,  Little Girl in a Blue Armchair (1878)

Mary Cassatt, Little Girl in a Blue Armchair (1878). Courtesy of the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC.

If you’re going to be bored, at least be comfortable. This Mary Cassatt portrait, also from the National Gallery of Art, is a classic interior scene.

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Le Lit (In Bed), 1882

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Le Lit (In Bed), 1882. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

And lest we forget, there’s endless pleasure in cuddling up in bed, as perfectly illustrated in this Henri de Toulous-Lautrec painting. Get some rest and stay healthy, everyone!

The set of images were sourced on Artnet.