#Paris in July, 2026 - Cafés in Paris

Paris in July, hosted by Emma @ Wordsandpeace, will soon come to an end. I have not been very active due to various other engagements. Although I did choose a number of books connected to Paris and France from my book shelves, my reading slump has been worse than ever. But, today I did finish one of the books I choose: Til bords med kunstnerne i Paris by Signe Wulff. I bought this book at the Ordrupgaard museum in Denmark, in May when I visited the exhibition Café Society. Art and Sociability in Belle Époque Paris.

The visitors were invited to Parisian cafés by artists like Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, and Édouard Vuillard. The cafés in Paris at the time were visited by all kinds of artists; writers, painters, musicians, and poets. The met to discuss life, art, and making new contacts with other artists. All under the influence of coffee, beer, wine, and the devastating drink of absinthe. Also Scandinavian artists came to France to meet fellow artists and get a flare of French society, modern life, and follow the new trends in painting.

Gradually, their lifestyle became motifs in their own arts. Artistic ideas and trends developed and inspired a new modern era. Most artists were poor and they could sit in the cafes with just a cup of coffee, speak with other artists or read the newspaper, as well as receiving letters from home. In the first decades of the twentieth century international artists like Pablo Picasso, Juan Gris, and Elisabeth Epstein moved here to be part of the new scene.

There were not only the most famous painters at the exhibition, but also many artists I had not heard of earlier. It was interesting to see their depictions of Paris life at the time. All in all, you get an idea of what life was like for these, often very poor artists.

Dining with the Artists in Paris

I bought this book at the exhibition. It is written by Signe Wulff who is a Danish journalist and author with a love for culture, art, language, and gastronomy. This all comes out in the book where she takes you around the Paris where artists used to hang out, and frequent cafés and restaurant. It can also be used as a guide book to where these restaurants are situated. I intend to take the book with me next time I go to Paris.

It is divided into 11 chapters, each chapter being about an artist and their interests in food. The chapters are about:

1. Alexandre Dumas (author) - A Gastronomic Will

2. Auguste Escoffier (cook) - Artist in the Kitchen

3. Sarah Bernard (actress) and Victor Hugo (author) - To Eat the Unknown

4. Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (painter) - Wormwood in the Cup

5. Pablo Picasso (painter) - Picasso’s Wild Party

6. Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas (art collector and gourmand) - Chez Salon Stein

7. Chaïm Soutine and Amadeo Modigliani (painters) - Artists on a Diet

8. Ernest Hemingway (author) - Papa’s Paris

9. Kiki de Montparnasse (model/painter) - The Queen of Montparnasse

10. Colette (author) - You are born a Gourmet

11. Karen Blixen (author) - Preliminary Study for Babette’s Banquet

It is a wonderful book if you are interested in the artists living in Paris in the beginning of the last century. Their struggles, their work, their lives and their love for French food. Good tips on which restaurants to visit and what they are serving. And, an address to find your way to. Unfortunately, I think it is only available in Danish.