Rendez-vous au Café: Café Culture in 19th-Century Art

About the Class

Cafés hold a special place in the history of modern art. In late 19th- and early 20th-century Paris, they were lively gathering places for avant-garde artists and writers, who spent hours drinking, gossiping, and debating the latest theories of art. Cafés also became important subjects for their work. To capture modern life, one needed to participate directly in the vibrant cafés, cabarets, and entertainment venues that defined the period. These environments inspired some of the most famous paintings of the time.

In this four-week course, we will learn about the notable cafés where European artists congregated—such as the Guerbois, Nouvelles Athénes, and Torton—and explore the paintings and drawings that still bring them to life for us today. We’ll learn about the Caffé Greco in Rome, an obligatory stop for Americans in Italy, and why Au Lapin Agile became the main meeting place for artists and writers in France at the end of the century. Although social restrictions prevented many women from participating in this very public culture, we will explore how they circumvented the issue and developed their own networking strategies.

The class is online-only. More about online classes.

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Barnes classes will:

• Sharpen your observational and critical thinking skills.
• Improve your ability to communicate about art.
• Deepen your appreciation for cultures and histories outside your own.

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