Gottfried Mind was a Swiss artist known as the “Raphael of Cats” for his remarkable talent in depicting animals, particularly felines, with uncanny realism and tenderness. Despite being... View More

Gottfried Mind was a Swiss artist known as the “Raphael of Cats” for his remarkable talent in depicting animals, particularly felines, with uncanny realism and tenderness. Despite being autistic and largely self-taught, Mind gained recognition in his lifetime for his naturalistic drawings and watercolors.

He had a deep affinity for animals, which he observed and rendered with emotional insight and anatomical accuracy. Mind’s work was widely admired by collectors and remains an early example of how outsider artists—those outside academic circles—could shape public appreciation for authenticity and expression in art.