Food Is Art—And Our Latest Issue Proves It

The camera eats first.

Before my fork touches a plate, I always pause to photograph the artistry of a chef ’s plating, zooming in for a flush of microgreens or delicately tweezed flower petals. I snap photos of bowls of fries and bottles of wine before I return them to the center of the table. I’m in the line taking pictures of the flames hitting the bottom of a wok when I order fried rice. The DSLR in my kitchen clicks every few seconds, capturing the entire process as I make tea cakes and lemon tarts. Those images live in my camera roll and occasionally make it onto a social media feed, a photographic record of everything I’ve cooked, poured, or tasted.

Whether it’s a video for the ’gram, or the bison scrawled onto the walls of the Lascaux caves, humans have always chronicled what we are eating. Van Gogh gave us The Potato Eaters and a bowl of pears. Between all the water lilies, Monet painted grapes and galettes.

Art is everywhere in food, from doodles on condiment packaging to watercolors on plates and tea towels. Architecture and design influence the shapes and colors of our appliances. Restaurants all over the world incorporate murals, sculpture, ironwork, glass, and ceramic design into the dining experiences. Some even double as galleries or take diners on immersive journeys using theater or film. Many chefs are inspired by art or use techniques like sketching or photography to develop dishes that the diner experiences as another expression of creativity and beauty.

Art is so integral to how we eat that we decided to devote an entire issue to the art of food. Our creative director, Caroline Newton, and her team took a curatorial approach to this issue, working with illustrators, painters, sculptors, and even fashion designers, with food as the muse. And our test kitchen editors set to work to create new recipes inspired by their favorite artists’ work.

You’ll find a cake, a salad, and a scallop main course worthy of their own gallery show. We also talked to contemporary artists who are reimagining flatware’s form and function. We take a trip to Marfa, Texas, for barhopping between minimalist exhibitions.

Food is the art form we all participate in. Pick up your phone, take a picture, and share it with us.