Van Gogh's Table at the Auberge Ravoux: Recipes From the Artist's Last Home and Paintings of Cafe Life - Hardcover

Alexandra Leaf; Fred Leeman

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1579651828 ISBN 13: 9781579651824

Publisher: Artisan, 2001

Synopsis

At the Auberge Ravoux, in a tiny artists' village twenty miles from Paris, Postimpressionist painter Vincent van Gogh found a measure of peace in an otherwise ill-starred life. In what would be his last home, he enjoyed the camaraderie of fellow artists and an unparalleled burst of creativity.

The auberge still operates today as the Maison de Van Gogh. Little has changed since Van Gogh set down his bags more than a century ago, and visitors to its cafT are treated to the same regional cuisine that he dined upon.

Here is an intimate view into Van Gogh's world, as stirring as sharing poulet and pommes sautTes with the artist himself. Written by one of America's foremost culinary historians, with Dr. Fred Leeman, the former chief curator of the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, and including an introduction by the auberge's proprietor, this unique cookbook/art book explores life in the artists' cafT, with traditional recipes ranging from the hearty to the refined. Letters, engravings, postcards, and a selection of Van Gogh's paintings transport the reader to the turn of the century.

About this title

Review

Beyond the well-known, sometimes lurid, events of renowned painter Vincent van Gogh's short life lies a much more mild daily existence of meals with friends and neighbors. Van Gogh's Table presents a gentle and kinder look at the visionary's world. Authors Alexandra Leaf, a culinary historian, and Fred Leeman, the former chief curator of the Van Gogh Museum, offer a tale of the artist's life through the lens of his last home, the Auberge Ravoux. Van Gogh was a constant traveler who frequently boarded at small hotels and dined in cafés. During his few months at this inn, van Gogh produced numerous magical works. As a tribute to the incredible painter, and the café life that inspired him, Leaf and Leeman have brought together stories and images of the artist's life and work with menus from his days at the Auberge Ravoux. Try recipes like Warm Tarte Tatin with Crème Fraiche or Dark Chocolate Soufflé Cake with Crème Anglaise to experience the sweeter side of van Gogh's world. If you're a fan of the great painter or a lover of French cooking, then this book is a must-have. --J.P. Cohen

From the Inside Flap

AT THE AUBERGE RAVOUX, IN AUVERS-SUR-OISE, A TINY ARTISTS' VILLAGE TWENTY MILES FROM PARIS, VINCENT VAN GOGH FOUND A MEASURE OF PEACE IN THE OTHERWISE ILL-STARRED LIFE. AT WHAT WOULD BE HIS LAST AND ONLY SURVIVING HOME, HE ENJOYED THE CAMARDERIE OF FELLOW ARTISTS AND EXPERIENCED A BURST OF CREATIVITY, PRODUCING SOME SEVENTY WORKS IN JUST SEVENTY DAYS.

The auberge still operates today as the Maison de Van Gogh. Very little has changed since Van Gogh first set down his bags more than a century ago, and visitors to the cafT are treated to the same regional cuisine that he dined upon. Here is an intimate view into Van Gogh's world as stirring as sharing poulet and pommes sautees with the artist himself, and quite as delicious.

As an artist, Vincent van Gogh spent most of his life in cafes, hotels, and small inns. These establishments often became the subjects of his paintings, as did the people he met there, many now immortalized in portraits. In the cafT he found a place of life in the shadow of this own isolation. And he found food, drink, and friendship.

Written by a culinary historian and the former chief curator of the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, in cooperation with the Institut Van Gogh, Van Gogh's Table explores the artist's sojourn at the Auberge Ravoux and presents nearly fifty of its recipes. Old engravings and postcards, letters, and a selection of Van Gogh's paintings transport the reader back to the turn of the twentieth century.

Edition details

• Publisher: Artisan
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 1579651828
• ISBN 13: 9781579651824
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 224