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| Van Gogh's Table: At the Auberge Ravoux | 
 enlarge | Authors: Alexandra Leaf, Fred Leeman
Publisher: Artisan
Category: Book
List Price: $19.95
Buy New: $0.99
You Save: $18.96 (95%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  2 reviews
Sales Rank: 531477
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 224
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2
Dimensions (in): 9.9 x 8.4 x 0.8
ISBN: 1579653154
Dewey Decimal Number: 759.9492
EAN: 9781579653156
ASIN: 1579653154
Publication Date: September 28, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: NEW BOOK!! WE SHIP 6 DAYS A WEEK!!
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| Customer Reviews:
Perfect blend of art and cuisine October 17, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This lovely book, a perfect blend of art and cuisine, will satisfy any reader, from the most casual van Gogh fan to the most discriminating foodie and/or art historical specialist. As the subtitle indicates ("Recipes from the Artist's Last Home and Paintings of Cafe Life"), it's is partly a cookbook, featuring recipes from the Auberge Ravoux, a 19th century inn in the town of Auvers-sur-Oise where van Gogh lived the last seventy days of his life, and where he died.
But don't be misled. This is not just another pretty coffee-table book with yet more pretty color reproductions of "The Cafe Terrace on the Place du Forum," etc. This is a work of substantive scholarship, but presented in such a way as to be accessible and enjoyable to anyone. The second half of the book, including the recipes, is authored by culinary historian Alexandra Leaf (in cooperation with chef Christophe Bony), who contexualizes the recipes in a larger discussion about van Gogh's time in Auvers and culinary customs of the time. The first half is authored by art historian Fred Leeman, former chief curator of the van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. His essay, "A Private Life in Public Places," discusses van Gogh's biography, but primarily from the view of his time spent in restaurants and cafes, so it's not the usual story that's been recounted so many times. In addition to discussing more well-known van Gogh paintings like "The Cafe Terrace on the Place du Forum" or "The Night Cafe," Leeman also includes lesser-known paintings and drawings that specialists will be happy to see and non-specialists will enjoy learning about. His analyses of the works are clear and persuasive, sometimes offering alternative datings and interpretations. Julia Galosy, who worked with Dominique-Charles Janssens, the current owner of the Auberge Ravoux, in restoring the inn, also contributes a wonderful essay on that specific cafe and its history. All the authors rightfully avoid the tabloid sensationalism that unfortunately pervades many published treatments of the artist (including those written by evident non-specialists in a lame attempt to make a quick buck).
Handsome illustrations of nearly every van Gogh work mentioned (including some that are rarely illustrated), archival photographs, and lovely photographs of the contemporary incarnation of the Auberge Ravoux and its cuisine, add to the stand-alone value of this book. For those who are interested, there are endnotes in the back of the book, leading readers to specific citations in van Gogh's letters and elsewhere, and a brief but comprehensive bibliography.
On a side note: I purchased this book in its hardcover edition in 2006 in preparation for a visit to Auvers-sur-Oise. My plans included a luncheon at the Auberge Ravoux and a pilgrimage to Vincent's lonely attic room. Reading this book, including Mr. Janssens' forward, was the perfect preparation for my visit. Sitting in the cozy atmosphere of the Auberge and enjoying a three-course luncheon (including the Marinated Herring and Salmon from p. 110 and the positively sublime Chocolate Mousse Saboyan from p. 130) was a wonderful experience that I will always treasure. (I replicated it in May 2007...mousse au chocolat, encore une fois, s'il vous plait!) A different experience, more spiritual and moving in character and even more memorable, was the actual visit to Vincent's room upstairs. Mr. Janssens and his associates are to be commended for their dedication to Vincent's memory through their work at the Auberge Ravoux, and the authors and publisher of this book are to be commended for diffusing that work in book form.
Art and Cooking in a Gorgeous Cookbook October 20, 2006
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
This gorgeous cookbook incorporates my favorite artist's life in cafes and historical cooking and recipes in a delightful cookbook that reads and views more like a work of art.
There is a tinge of sadness knowing that Aubuerge was his last home, but I find it amazing to make a dish that history has dined on and realize that many of these cafes still exist.
Van Gogh's Table: At the Auberge Ravoux will feed your soul and your belly. It is a visual and gastronomic treat.
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