19 Wacky Menu Ideas Inspired by Famous Artists

The Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong's art-inspired dishes also include one inspired by Vincent van Gogh—his sunflower still lifes and the infamous tale of when the Dutch painter cut off his own ear—that includes foie gras, chicken, and, of course, sunflowers.

Belgian surrealist René Magritte was the focus of a major Art Institute of Chicago exhibition this year as well as the inspiration behind the decor and food of the museum's Woman's Board and Board of Trustees gala on June 20. Matching HMR Designs' visuals for the event, the institute's in-house caterer Bon Appetit Catering provided whimsical offerings. That included a first course of king crab, lobster tail, cauliflower, baby zucchini, squash blossom, sweet corn, and lobster essence, which referenced the famous Magritte quotation "Ceci n'est pas une pipe" (or, "This is not a pipe.")

In 2010, food artist Jennifer Rubell created a one-night-only exhibition called "Icons" for the Brooklyn Museum. The food-focused exhibit was designed to be interactive and serve as the meal for the art institution's annual Brooklyn Ball. Among the pieces Rubell created were lifesize cheese heads that hung from the ceiling, with heat guns slowly melting the sculptures onto a bed of crackers below. The inspiration? Artist Bruce Nauman, whose work includes sculptures of heads.

As part of its involvement with Art Basel Hong Kong, the Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong's executive chef Uwe Opocensky created a series of dishes inspired by iconic works of art. That included the Lily Pond—Alaskan king crab, scallop, dashi, and frozen grapefruit—designed as an ode to French impressionist Claude Monet's "Water Lilies."

To build buzz for its opening, New York's Sanctuary Hotel hosted three dinners in its unfinished lobby dubbed the "Pop Art Pop Up" in March 2011. Pop art was the overriding theme of the concept and as such teenage chef Greg Grossman paid homage to the works of Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Keith Haring, and others through the shapes and colors of his dishes. One plate was inspired by Damien Hirst's spot paintings and consisted of scallop, potato, apple, tamarind, and Thai basil.

The Adler Planetarium's Celestial Ball on September 13 had a "Starry Night" theme taken from Vincent van Gogh's famous piece. As such, the dessert by Food for Thought was inspired by the Dutch artist and the swirling patterns in the painting.

Performance art organization Performa is known for its quirky events that put art at the forefront of the experience. In 2012, the nonprofit's fall gala was inspired by Relâche, Francis Picabia and Erik Satie's surrealist ballet of 1924. In keeping with that, the menu from Bite Food played off the surrealist works of Salvador Dali and René Magritte and included a dinner that started with whole lady apples—a nod to Magritte's iconic self portrait, "The Son of Man."

Jennifer Rubell's exhibition-cum-event catering for the 2010 Brooklyn Ball also included unmarked paint tubes filled with dips like orange-chipotle mayonnaise, which guests could spread on potato chips. The piece was a nod to artist Paul McCarthy's "Painter" piece.

In December 2012, the Andy Warhol Museum and KIWI Arts Group launched the print portfolio "William John Kennedy: The Warhol Museum Edition," a limited-edition box set of five signed and numbered photographs of Andy Warhol. At the launch party, which took place during Art Basel Miami Beach, a chocolate sculpture of the famed artist served as decor as well as the catering.

For the V.I.P. showing for the Pop Austin International Art Show on October 17, downtown restaurant Frank created a menu of hors d'oeuvres that referenced art and artists, including Andy Warhol and Banksy. The passed bites were served on trays decorated with cards to help guests identify the inspiration behind the dish. For instance, Robert Indiana's "Eat-Die" diptych was a pretzel cracker with peanut butter, banana, antelope, bacon relish, and marshmallow crema.

The cocktail at the Art Institute of Chicago's Magritte-inspired gala was dubbed the "Magritte-Ahh," a concoction made with tequila, agave, and lime-kaffir salt, and topped with cotton candy.

Jennifer Rubell's art-meets-food menu for Performa's 2009 benefit in New York included seven chocolate versions of Jeff Koons's "Rabbit" sculpture made by chocolatier Jacques Torres. Guests were given hammers and invited to smash the edible work into pieces that they could then eat.

At the 2010 Brooklyn Ball, eight blank canvases fitted with spigots, dubbed “drinking paintings,” invited guests to pour their own cocktails and wine. The splashes made by the liquid were a subtle reference to Jackson Pollock's drip painting style.

Chef Greg Grossman's menu for the Sanctuary Hotel's 2011 "Pop Art Pop Up" included beef, lamb, salmon, and bass plated atop different colored sauces—in imitation of Andy Warhol's monoprint style.

During Art Basel Miami Beach last year, Heineken and Saveur hosted a dinner to honor Alexander Mijares (pictured) and celebrate the work he created for the beer brand. Courses at the private, 25-person event were designed after the Miami-based artist's pieces.

The Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong's art-focused menu is not only served at banquet events, but also at its Mandarin Grill & Bar restaurant and intimate eatery the Krug Room. Dubbed "Paint," the dish inspired by Jackson Pollock's abstract paintings sees guests top a plate of beef calotte with different colored sauces in pipettes. Those include the truffle (black), pepper (red), spinach (green), and potato mash (white).

Takashi Murakami's style is hard to render in food—the Japanese contemporary artist is known for his intense, cartoon-like pieces that mix bright colors, pop culture, and recurring motifs. But Greg Grossman' effort for the Sanctuary Hotel's pop-up dinner series, included the chef's take on Murakami's "Flower of Joy" icon that used fennel, yuzu, mango, white chocolate, and strawberry.

Marcel Duchamp's "Fountain" inspired the champagne fountains at the 2010 Brooklyn Ball.

As a reference to Magritte's pipe painting, the Art Institute of Chicago's Woman's Board and Board of Trustees gala put trays of edible licorice pipes on the bar during the cocktail reception.