Release Date: June 23, 2014
Chef Michel Richard Introduces New Seasonal Dishes at the Garden Café Français

New Menu Starts June 27

Frisee salad, one of the new summer dishes created by Chef Michel Richard for Garden Café Français at the National Gallery of Art. Photo by Rob Shelley © National Gallery of Art.

Washington, DC—This summer Chef Michel Richard, chef and owner of Central Michel Richard in Washington and Villard Michel Richard in New York, has brightened the National Gallery of Art Garden Café menu with lighter options inspired by Degas/Cassatt, on view in the West Building through October 5. Seasonal additions include a refreshing frisee salad with hard-boiled eggs, Gruyère cheese, and cherry tomatoes, ravioles de fromage au basilic (cheese ravioli in basil sauce), along with French classic, bœuf bourguignon (beef braised in red wine).

Garden Café Français

Chef Richard's buffet ($20.75) incorporates a variety of traditional French dishes featuring fresh seasonal ingredients. Attractive recipe cards for selected dishes are available to guests free of charge.

White, red, and sparkling wines from French vineyards, as well as beer from France, complement the menu. A variety of non-alcoholic beverages is also offered.

Garden Café Français is open Monday through Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 4:00 p.m. A preconcert menu of light fare, desserts, and beverages is offered from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. on Sundays to accommodate visitors who attend the free evening concerts in the West Garden Court. One of the most distinctive dining spots in the nation's capital, the Garden Café setting features a delightful 19th-century French marble sculpture after Jacopo Sansovino, Bacchus and a Faun, and a fountain with Herbert Adams' delicate bronze Girl with Water Lilies (model 1928).

The Garden Café is located in the West Building near the entrance at 6th Street and Constitution Avenue NW. To make reservations for groups of eight or more, please contact the café manager at (202) 712-7454. For more information about the Gallery and its restaurants, visit www.nga.gov/dining.

Degas/Cassatt
May 11–October 5, 2014

Edgar Degas's influence upon Mary Cassatt has long been acknowledged, but her role in shaping his artistic production and in preparing the way for his warm reception in America is fully examined in this exhibition for the first time. These two major figures of the impressionist movement shared a keen observer's eye and an openness to experimentation. With a focus on the critical period from the late 1870s through the mid-1880s when Degas and Cassatt were most closely allied, this exhibition brings together some 70 works in a variety of media to illustrate the artistic dialogue that developed between them. Degas/Cassatt builds upon groundbreaking technical analysis to present new insights into these artists' approaches, particularly in terms of subject matter, media, and methods.

The exhibition is organized by the National Gallery of Art, Washington.

The exhibition is made possible by a generous grant from Booz Allen Hamilton Inc. in celebration of its 100th Anniversary.

The Robert and Mercedes Eichholz Foundation is the foundation sponsor.

The exhibition is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities.