{"id":7873,"date":"2020-05-08T13:41:02","date_gmt":"2020-05-08T13:41:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tiqets-blog-staging.local\/famous-food-paintings\/"},"modified":"2025-08-22T08:44:30","modified_gmt":"2025-08-22T08:44:30","slug":"famous-food-paintings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tiqets.com\/blog\/famous-food-paintings\/","title":{"rendered":"Culinary Arts: The World\u2019s Top 10 Famous Food Paintings","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u2013<\/em> This post was written by Mick Murray<\/strong><\/em> \u2013<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Art has the ability to inspire people. It can make us think, dream, and find new meaning in our lives. It can also make us super hungry. Food paintings and depictions of edible things have been part of famous artworks since the very beginning. From ancient Egyptians carving depictions of crops and breads on tablets, to hyper-realistic grapes painted by Dutch masters, food and art have a long and rich relationship. Here are our top 10 famous food paintings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Mound of Butter by Antoine Vollon <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n
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\"Mound
Mound of Butter by Antoine Vollon, National Gallery of Art<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Where is it?<\/strong>
The National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.<\/a>

What is it?<\/strong>
A gargantuan mound of butter.

Why is it a thing?<\/strong>
While butter paintings might be a bit of a niche interest (congratulations to anyone who googled \u2018butter paintings\u2019 and ended up here), this famous work of art is one of the National Gallery of Art\u2019s greatest treasures for a reason. In the 19th century, depictions of food and even food preparation were very popular. Still lifes and kitchen scenes were all the rage, and very few did these better than Antoine Vollon. Vollon\u2019s fans included luminaries like the French writer Alexandre Dumas, who collected many of his paintings, and the rich detail and texture of this mound of butter tells you all you need to know about why he was so popular.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. The Potato Eaters by Vincent van Gogh<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n
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\"The
The Potato Eaters by Vincent Van Gogh, Van Gogh Museum<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Where is it?<\/strong>
The Van Gogh Museum<\/a>, Amsterdam

What is it?<\/strong>
The painting that Van Gogh himself was happiest about, calling it \u201cthe best thing I did<\/em>\u201d.

Why is it a thing?<\/strong>
The above quote should give you an example of how Van Gogh, someone who was notoriously hard on himself, rated this particular work. His intention for the painting was to depict peasant life how it really was \u2013 and in the Netherlands, this meant potatoes. Van Gogh was likely inspired by fellow Dutch artist Jozef Isra\u00ebls, whose \u2018A Peasant Family at the Table\u2019 has an undeniably similar composition.

While the painting itself is visually stunning to look at, it also has a long and dramatic history that also makes it very special to see in person. Even from the very beginning, it seemed to cause some issues. After his friend criticised the painting, Van Gogh was deeply hurt, and replied “you…had no right to condemn my work in the way you did<\/em>\u201d in a fiery letter.

Unfortunately, that wasn\u2019t the end of the controversy. In 1988, thieves stole an early version of The Potato Eaters from the Kr\u00f6ller-M\u00fcller Museum<\/a> in Otterlo \u2013 and returned it the following year. Only a few years later, in 1991, thieves then stole the final version of the painting from the Van Gogh Museum \u2013 before their getaway car blew a tyre, and they were forced to leave the paintings behind and flee on foot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Figure with Meat by Francis Bacon<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n
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\"Figure
Figure with Meat by Francis Bacon, Art Institute of Chicago.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Where is it?<\/strong>
The Art Institute of Chicago<\/a>

What is it?<\/strong>
Definitely not something to look at right before going to sleep.

Why is it a thing?<\/strong>
Nominative determinism is the idea that someone\u2019s name might end up influencing their career choice, or future actions. With a last name like Bacon, there was only one way this was going to end: Figure with Meat. This painting made waves in the 20th century, and sums up the irreverence, controversy, and \u2018not afraid to offend\u2019 mentality held by contemporary artists like Bacon around this time.

To understand this painting, you first have to go back a bit further into art history \u2013 all the way back to 1650, when Diego Vel\u00e1zquez created his portrait of Pope Innocent X. Side by side, you see that the figure in Bacon\u2019s famous food painting bears a pretty uncanny resemblance to the religious figure depicted by Vel\u00e1zquez. The main difference is that instead of a dignified holy man, Bacon\u2019s version is more of a zombified corpse, gripping his throne, which seems to be constructed out of a dead cow carcass. Some critics consider it to be a modern-day version of a vanitas painting, using food imagery to represent death and the fleeting nature of existence, while others consider it a critique on religious authority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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