Marie Bracquemond (French, 1840—1916)
Under the Lamp, 1877
Oil on canvas
Mr. and Mrs. R. Stephens Philips, Piedmont, CA
By Jeff Maisey
If you enjoy the hit series Emily in Paris, fell in love with Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris, have a passion for dining in a snug French family-run cafe or 1890s-era brasserie, and get an achy heart when eyeing the paintings of Marie Bracquemond, Claude Monet, and Paul Cézanne, you’re going to be thrilled with the Chrysler Museum of Art’s new exhibition, Farm to Table: Art, Food, and Identity in the Age of Impressionism, as well as its accompanying educational and entertainment programming.
Through more than fifty paintings and sculptures by leading artists, this exhibition explores this transformative era in French history.
The exhibition runs October 11through January 5 and is organized by the American Federation of Arts and the Chrysler Museum of Art. Following its Norfolk showing, Farm to Table hits the road as a traveling exhibition with stops in 2025 at Nashville’s Frist Art Museum, the Cincinnati Art Museum, and Seattle Art Museum.
In advance of the exhibition being hung, I reached out to Chrysler Museum of Art’s Director of Curatorial Affairs Mark Castro for some delicious insights.
VEER: How did the conceptualization of the exhibition tying French Impressionistic art with the harvesting, making, and eating of food, and scenes of various levels of French society in the aftermath of the Franco-Prussian War come together? Who sparked the idea?
Mark Castro: The exhibition was conceived by the art historian Andrew Eschelbacher when he was a professor at the Virginia Military Institute in 2014. He was inspired by a trip through the Musée Carnavalet in Paris, where he came across Narcisse Chaillou’s A Rat Seller during the Siege of Paris displayed alongside other food-themed works from the time of the Prussian siege. As Andrew describes it, the show combines two of his passions – late 19th century French art and cuisine. He kept the idea in his mind as he moved on to other positions, eventually proposing it when he was Director of Curatorial Affairs at the American Federation of Arts (AFA).
VEER: When did discussions begin for developing Farm to Table as a traveling exhibition?
Mark Castro: Andrew began discussing the exhibition at the AFA in late 2021, and then he and his colleagues approached the Chrysler Museum of Art in spring of 2022. From there, the two organizations partnered on developing the project into a traveling exhibition, with the Chrysler acting as the first venue in the show’s tour.
VEER: The accompanying book to this exhibition is wonderfully researched. Is it your hope that those who view Farm to Table will purchase the book and then be intrigued enough for a second visit enhanced with greater insight?
Mark Castro: The catalogue offered an opportunity for us to make an original contribution to scholarship around French art from this period and acts as a kind of record that outlives the exhibition. Along those lines, we hope that some visitors may purchase the book to remember the exhibition and perhaps learn more about its themes in depth.
VEER: The book has five chapters: Farm to Oven to Table: Representing The Agency of Wheat, “The Finest Butters in the World”: Art and the Dairy Industry, The Gender of Food, Colonial Fruit, and French Food and Art Come to America. Is the exhibition organized to match these thematic topics in order?
Mark Castro: The exhibition is organized in a more streamlined fashion, inspired by the organization of the plate section in the catalogue. The first section, From Farms to Fisheries, delves into images of the cultivation of food across different geographies; the second section, In the Markets, looks at its sale in French markets and the people who populate those spaces; the final section, To The Table! contains scenes of people from eating from across French social classes.
VEER: Lloyd Dewitt obviously had knowledge of the Chrysler Museum of Art’s collection. Was this a starting point when selecting specific artwork for the exhibition?
Mark Castro: The development of the checklist began with the show’s originating curator, Andrew Eschelbacher, who was working on the idea for several years. As it became clear the show would be coming to the Chrysler Museum, he worked with a former Chrysler Curator, Lloyd DeWitt, to further enhance the checklist with other works, including selecting objects from the Chrysler Museum’s collection.
VEER: While there are some “famous” works of art in this exhibition, the majority seem lesser known. In telling the story of Farm to Table, so to speak, I would say that’s probably a good thing. Would you agree?
Mark Castro: The inclusion of works by lesser-known artists has the potential to expand our frame of reference for a given period. It reminds us that what is “famous” changes over time and that we shouldn’t necessarily privilege our own contemporary taste. I was impressed by the works of Victor Gabriel Gilbert, for example, an artist little known today in the United States but whose works were very popular in his lifetime and are among the most striking in the exhibition.
VEER: What colors were chosen for the walls for the exhibition and why?
Mark Castro: I selected the colors with our Creative Services Manager, Cassie Rangel. We wanted visitors to enter in a bright color and we drew inspiration from the pale grey sky of the Chrysler Museum’s painting by Daniel Ridgway Knight of a grain harvest. As you move through the show you enter a warm green gallery, reflective of the rich green produce you see in many of the paintings depicting vegetables for sale in French markets. The final section is a darker basil green, playing off scenes of people eating in restaurants and dining rooms, but also outdoors.
VEER: Most educated Americans marvel at and have a deep affection for French culinary experiences, whether dining at a white table clothed restaurant run by top notched chefs, shopping for fresh vegetables and seafood at open-air markets in town squares, or picnicking serendipitously in the Jardin du Luxembourg with a baguette, block of cheese, and bottle of Burgundy. Does this built-in popularity of French cuisine bode well for attendance to Farm to Table right off the bat?
Mark Castro: Whether you’ve spent a great deal of time in France, or just love French food, it’s hard not to be swept up by this show. All this appetizing imagery of fresh vegetables, delicious breads, and glasses of wine, certainly makes me want to head to Paris! I hope that Americans’ love of French cuisine will help draw people into the show, and that the rich nature of the works will invite them to come back again and again.
VEER: I love the detail within the Butter section of the book where it is stated margarine was “invented in 1869 in response to a contest organized by Napoleon III” to create a cheap substitute to butter. This to the benefit of the poor and in feeding the French army. Do you hope visitors will gain a greater, deeper knowledge of food as well as art?
Mark Castro: I think the exhibition offers visitors a great opportunity to learn more about food production in general, but also to see what a wide-ranging influence French cuisine. Whether we’re aware of it or not, American cuisine is deeply indebted to the French – it’s played a formative role in developing our own culinary identity.
VEER: France’s intangible cultural heritage is its culinary and visual art. Food — both in its scarcity for the poor and over abundance for the elite class — is a central theme to the cyclical societal upheavals in French culture in history as illustrated in the words of Victor Hugo in Les Misérables to painted scenes in this exhibition of peasants harvesting hay in the fields and churning butter. In some ways, little has changed between the working class and elites. Is this reflection intended in the programming?
Mark Castro: I think it is certainly reflected in the exhibition’s content. One of the things that we think about during the development of all our exhibitions is how they relate to contemporary audiences and illuminate contemporary subjects. Walking though the exhibition, it’s hard to not connect the culinary experiences of different social classes in France in the 19th century with our own. Then, as today, a lack of access to food – particularly fresh produce – was a pressing concern.
VEER: Does “Farm to Table” provide further evidence of the abilities of French artists to capture a broad stroke of daily life and culture of the times?
Mark Castro: I think the exhibition demonstrates what a dynamic and rich period this was for French art in general. Although Farm to Table doesn’t feature photography, we’re thrilled to have another exhibition up at the same time, New Frames of Reference: Early French Photographers at Home and Abroad, that looks at the same period. In both shows you see artists using their work to capture scenes of everyday life, but also to reckon with a world that was rapidly changing around them.
VEER: Additional programming enhances visual art exhibitions and provides various gateways in which people may seek to explore the works. This exhibition has several such as music, a French-style salon, etc…Is this programming suggested by the traveling partners at American Federation of Arts or is it created by the Chrysler Museum team?
Mark Castro: The programming being offered at the Chrysler Museum was developed by our Public Engagement and Learning department. It includes a robust lineup of activities ranging from teatime for littles to an energetic concert series, called World Beats. Still life painting classes, homeschool studio, our 6th annual Bake Off – so many of our fall programs tie perfectly into this exhibition. You can find a full program lineup at Chrysler.org/farm-to-table.
VEER: What haven’t I asked (given I’ve not viewed the exhibition in advance) that needs to be pointed out about Farm to Table?
Mark Castro: Our Community Gallery at the end of the exhibition was designed by our Manager of Experiential Learning, Emily Cayton, and features still lifes from across the collection, pressing on ideas of how this genre can reflect personal or cultural identity. It’s going to be a great space for visitors, especially young visitors, to playfully enjoy the themes of the exhibition.
WANT TO SEE?
“Farm to Table: Art, Food, and Identity in the Age of Impressionism”
October 11 through January 5
Chrysler Museum of Art
Farm to Table Exhibition Programming
MEMBER PREVIEW CELEBRATION
Thursday, October 10, 6–9 p.m.
Preview a rich selection of Impressionist works and stories that celebrate the intersection of French cuisine and social discourse.
Free for members, $20 for non-members. Registration required.
STILL-LIFE PAINTING STUDIO CLASS
Thursdays: October 10, 17, 24 from 1–3 p.m.
Class participants will explore the timeless tradition of still-life painting guided by an experienced instructor.
$65 for Museum members, $80 for non-members. Registration required.
WORLD BEATS CONCERT SERIES
Roused by Farm to Table, this series explores music with French influences and pairs each concert with French wine and food selected by guest chefs, sommeliers, and other culinary specialists.
- Les Zazous: Wednesday, October 16 at 7 p.m.
- T’Monde: Wednesday, November 20 at 7 p.m.
- Jessica Fichot: Thursday, December 12 at 7 p.m.
$15 for Museum members, $35 for non-members. Registration required.
FARM TO TABLE SALON SERIES
Tuesdays and Saturdays from 10:30 a.m.–noon
Relive the historic French Salon tradition through an intimate and unique opportunity to probe beyond the canvas into the complex themes of Farm to Table.
- Tuesday, October 15: Impressionism and French Mélodie
- Saturday, October 26: Jefferson, Hemings, and American Cuisine
- Saturday, November 16: Identity and Gender in Food
- Tuesday, December 10: American Artists in France
Free for Museum members, 10 for non-members. Registration required
TEACHER WORKSHOP: FRENCH CULTURE AND CONNECTIONS IN ART
Thursday, November 7 from 5:30–7:30 p.m.
Experience two French-focused exhibitions with larger relevance in this evening teacher workshop. Discuss themes from both Farm to Table: Art, Food, and Identity in the Age of Impressionism and New Frames of Reference: Early French Photographers at Home and Abroad, then create a piece of your own to reflect on your experience. Refreshments provided.
$10. Registration required
FIRST THURSDAYS: FARM TO TABLE
Thursdays, 5–8 p.m.
First Thursdays are the perfect occasion to meet new people, enjoy a free date night, or simply wind down the week. All ages welcome.
- November 7: Savor a farmer’s market with a twist, participate in a community garden collage, and listen to an Appalachian band honoring Virginia’s rural musical legacy.
- December 5: Put your skills to the test in the 6th Annual Bake Off. Bakers show off their creations inspired by a work of art in the Museum’s collection.
Free. Registration not required.
CHRYSLER BOOK AND LOOK CLUB
Sunday, November 17 from 1–3 p.m.
Join in the Farm to Table exhibition to discuss the book Thomas Jefferson’s Crème Brûlée: How a Founding Father and His Slave James Hemings Introduced French Cuisine to America and make connections from the book with the works in the exhibition. Enjoy light refreshments afterward in the Jean Outland Chrysler Library. Free. Registration required.
