Artwork

The Restaurant of the Great Art Exhibition: Love for the arts and the cutlet.

The Restaurant of the Great Art Exhibition: Love for the arts and the cutlet. is a print by the Impressionist artist Honoré Daumier. It dates from 1868 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.

About this work

Overview

Honoré Daumier’s 1868 print titled *The Restaurant of the Great Art Exhibition: Love for the arts and the cutlet* is part of the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. The work captures a bustling dining room, populated by a mixture of patrons and staff, rendered with Daumier’s characteristic observational eye.

Subject & Meaning

At the centre of the composition a stout, dark‑clad man leans over a table, decanting wine into a glass while a woman in a long dress and headscarf watches him attentively. Their interaction, set against a crowd of onlookers, suggests a moment of conviviality and perhaps a subtle commentary on the social rituals surrounding art exhibitions of the period.

Technique & Style

Executed as a print, the image employs bold line work and tonal contrasts typical of Daumier’s realist approach. The crowded interior is delineated with swift, expressive strokes that convey movement, while the careful rendering of facial features—particularly the man’s prominent nose—adds a touch of caricature within a realistic framework.

History & Provenance

Created in 1868, the print reflects Daumian interest in contemporary urban life and public venues. It entered the Cleveland Museum of Art’s holdings through acquisition (specific acquisition details are not recorded in the source) and remains an example of the artist’s engagement with everyday scenes during the height of the Realist movement.

Artist & collection

Artist

Honoré Daumier

Honoré-Victorin Daumier was a French painter, sculptor, and printmaker, whose many works offer commentary on the social and political life in France, from the Revolution of 1830 to the fall of the Second French Empire in 1870.