At the Auberge Ravoux, in a tiny artists’ village twenty miles from Paris, Vincent Van Gogh found a measure of peace in his ill-starred life—and experienced an unparalleled burst of creativity, producing seventy masterpieces and studies. The Auberge still operates today as the Maison de Van Gogh. Little has changed since Van Gogh first set down his bags more than a century ago, and visitors are still treated to the comforting, delicious regional cuisine that he would have dined upon.
Here is a stirring view into Van Gogh’s world, as intimate as sharing poulet and pommes sautées with the artist himself. Written by the former Chief Curator of the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam with one of America’s foremost culinary authorities, this unique cookbook/art book explores the role of the café in Van Gogh’s life. Includes more than 50 traditional recipes, ranging from hearty to refined, and 100 photographs, paintings, sketches, engravings, and letters, some never before seen in book form.
Dr. Fred Leeman is the former Chief Curator of the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam and is an independent organizer of fine-art exhibitions throughout the world.
Alexandra Leaf has lectured to museum audiences throughout the country on the food culture of Impressionist France. She pioneered the teaching of culinary history at the New School for Social Research, where she taught for many years. She is the author of The Impressionists’ Table.