Writing, painting, sculpting, and other artistic pursuits are often solo endeavors, but Gillie and Marc, have formed a perfect union that marries purpose with passion unlike any other artistic team in human history. Gillie and Marc Schattner, more commonly known simply as Gillie and Marc, or in their sculpted public art form as Rabbitwoman and Dogman, are not only world-renowned for their wildlife sculptures and vibrantly playful paintings but also for being ardent champions of endangered species and equality. The pair, who met over 30 years ago on a photoshoot in Hong Kong, have fused their unique and starkly contrasting backgrounds into a joint effort to produce innovative art and raise funds and awareness for a myriad of societal issues through messages of love, equality, and conservation.
Personal History
Gillie, the daughter of a Dutch mother and Indian father, was born in London and raised in Zambia for the first dozen years of her life. She credits those years, spent witnessing extreme human poverty alongside a wealth of wildlife experiences, both good, on safaris with her family, and bad, seeing poachers kill elephants and other large mammals, with instilling in her an intense desire to make a tangible difference in the world. Marc brings a whole other level of tragedy and human experience to the table, as his father was the only member of his 20-person family to survive the Holocaust. As a boy, growing up in Australia, Marc learned from his dad the importance of equality, respect for others, justice for all, and fighting for what matters most in the world. He promised his father, before he passed away, that he’d spend his life practicing these lessons and making a difference.
READ MORE + The New York Times have called Gillie and Marc the most prolific and successful creators of public art in New York’s history, but more importantly, the soul mates are also lovingly referred to as “the world’s most loving artists” because they work side by side on paintings, sculptures, massive works of public art, and so much more decade upon decade. Their mission-based artwork has been seen, felt, and experienced by millions of people in galleries, parks, and on the streets of over 250 cities, from Singapore to Las Vegas and Auckland to Greenwich Village. The impact of Gillie and Marc’s monumental public art has been nothing short of monumental itself, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations as well as global awareness and action for many wildlife charities, including current partners, the World Wildlife Fund. While their enormous sculptures of African elephants, Masai Giraffe, Lowland gorillas, white rhinos, arctic foxes, Bengal tigers, and more have garnered the couple fame and helped Gillie and Marc’s conservation message reach new audiences generation after generation, it was and still is the love birds’ autobiographical characters, Rabbitwoman and Dogman, that established the artistic duo as a tour de force with something to say in the art world. Pitted as predator and prey in the natural world, the sculpted versions of Gillie and Marc as a rabbit and a dog, respectively, make an enduring, essential, yet altogether and always playful point that when we work together, regardless of what side of the aisle we may be on, the world will ultimately be a better place for our love, respect, and collaboration. If you’re interested in collecting the art of Gillie and Marc, you can contact Park West’s gallery consultants at (800) 521-9654 ext. 4 or sales@parkwestgallery.com.
With countless accolades to their names, including winning the Biennale de Chianciano, two-time winners of Allens People Choice Award at Sydney’s iconic Sculpture by the Sea and Kids’ Choice Award, and being finalists for the Archibald Prize, Gillie and Marc could relax and rest on their laurels, but with climate change threatening future generations of life on the planet, they remain as determined as ever to utilize their art as well as their love for each other, for wild animals, and for their fellow humans, to advocate and raise awareness, and continue to make a positive impact in the world.
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