Coffee in art: artistic representations of a popular drink

Coffee intrigues, coffee inspires, and it has for many centuries: since coffee became a common beverage in the 19th century rather than a drink reserved for the upper bourgeoisie, it has been the source of numerous artistic inspirations, particularly in painting.

Paintings about the famous energizing drink

In the famous painting by Édouard Manet titled "Déjeuner dans l’atelier", painted in the 19th century, you can find a still life illustration that includes a cup of coffee among oyster shells and lemon peels. A maid is also depicted in this painting, a coffee pot in hand. The Italian painter Silvestro Lega also used the image of coffee on a canvas titled "Un dopo pranzo": here again there are cups of coffee placed on a table and a governess holding a coffee pot which, we can guess, contains coffee. Pierre-Auguste Renoir in his painting "The End of Lunch" also adds a cup of coffee. These famous paintings are the main witnesses to the prevalence of coffee at that time. That era marks the beginning of coffee's international popularity across all social classes. Coffee was no longer reserved for an elite, but for all social backgrounds. Today coffee is the most popular beverage in the world.

"Un dopo pranzo", Oil on canvas by Silvestro Lega

The most popular coffee exhibitions (Café-in, Paris Coffee Show)

To learn about the origins of coffee as well as its history, composition and production, exhibitions are organized around it in museums in France and worldwide. This is the case for the exhibition Café-in at the Mucem in Marseille. This exhibition aims to introduce the history of coffee as well as the techniques and production methods, so that this drink, despite its popularity, holds no more secrets for anyone. Indeed, as noted by Jean-Michel Dijan, the exhibition's general curator, coffee is not usually intended to be an artistic object like famous paintings, but rather an object of tasting or social life. By attempting to provide information on what coffee really is, and why it is so popular today after so many years of cultivation and exportation, the exhibition helps to reveal more about it.

The Café-in exhibition offers an introspection into the myths surrounding coffee, the scientific and economic aspects of the beverage, and the social practices that arise from this popular drink.

Other exhibitions present coffee from every angle, as is also the case with the exhibition "The Rise of Exotic Drinks in the 18th Century": however, this exhibition is not focused solely on coffee, but also on tea and cocoa.

Another popular exhibition: the Paris Coffee Show, the leading coffee event in France. This exhibition takes place at the Parc Floral de Paris and brings together the main players in coffee production. The Paris Coffee Show features no fewer than 1,050 roasters, offering tastings of the best coffees in the world. This event was organized to offer a discovery of the world of coffee and its aromas: accessible to everyone, it combines playful activities and vibrant tastings.

Painting with... coffee grounds!

Combining the useful with the pleasant is the surprising bet some people have chosen by replacing paint with coffee grounds. An ecological and natural solution that gives lovely sepia tones to all your drawings! We suggest you watch this short tutorial video which shows you how to make coffee grounds paint.

Coffee has many taste, curative and health-beneficial properties, but that's not all: it is an object used in art and exhibitions, because its exotic origins and production secrets are sometimes unknown to many.