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This serigraph was inspired by celebrity chef, Paul Bocuse, but it is an homage to all those who, as the artist puts it in his best-selling An American in Paris, "skillfully convert raw materials into appetite-pleasing digestibles." Chefs, of course, are artists, too. And no one appreciates their craft more than Neiman. He first became acquainted with Monsieur Bocuse's award-winning flair when the chef was cooking briefly as a guest in the kitchen at Sirio Maccioni's Le Cirque, one of the artist's favorite haunts in New York. The serigraph brims with color and flavor. Candle light and violins set the mood as Chef Bocuse puts the final touches on a table bursting with the bounty of France. The original painting features actual wine labels, and was one of the most admired works at LeRoy Neiman's successful Paris show. Clearly, the artist is as comfortable in a wine cellar or at table as he is at his easel. LeRoy Neiman always works from experience. Perhaps that is why his bustling cafe scenes attract such a fervent following: he has wined and dined there. "La Cuisine Francaise" proves the point that Neiman's extraordinary prints result not only from his unique artistic skills, but from his passion for life and consuming personal involvement with the world he depicts.
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