Massimo Bottura | Osteria Francescana

One of the world’s most creative culinary forces, Massimo Bottura, will bring his celebrated three Michelin-starred restaurant, Osteria Francescana, from the medieval Italian city of Modena to the contemporary art galleries of Sotheby’s London auction house this summer.

Transporting the conceptual premises of contemporary art into the kitchen, Massimo Bottura is a leading figure amongst a new generation of Italian chefs. Juxtaposing tradition and innovation with art and design, Bottura draws inspiration from a myriad of avant-garde contemporary artists - an approach that has won his restaurant the number three place on the list of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants.

The restaurant will open its doors at Sotheby’s in London for three days on the evenings of 27, 28 and 29 June 2015, with a seven-course tasting menu carefully selected to provoke a dialogue between food and art.

Massimo said: "I am crazy about this project with Sotheby's. It will be thrilling to have my food surrounded by such exciting art."

Dishes on offer include the Damien Hirst-inspired ‘Beautiful Psychedelic Spin-painted veal,
not flame grilled’ – a beef fillet, first marinated in milk, and then served with tri colour sauces
purposefully spun like the artist’s spin-paintings (pictured right). The sixth course, ‘Oops! I Dropped the Lemon Tart’ pays homage to Ai Weiwei’s radical work Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn (1995). The final course, ‘Camouflage: Hare in the Woods’ is inspired by Pablo Picasso who saw Cubism in a painted military truck.

Housed within the art galleries of the auction house, the restaurant will be hung with contemporary artworks by many of the artists who have influenced Bottura’s conceptual approach to cooking (please find further information below). Spanning over 50 years of artistic production, the works will all be included in Sotheby’s upcoming auctions of Contemporary Art on 1 and 2 July.

*Strictly by reservation only, seven course tasting menu including a welcome aperitif: £250. A wine pairing will be available at £95.For bookings visit:www.sothebys.com/of or email: [email protected]

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