The art of the table

Ten eras, ten tables, and ten inspiring films turn The Prince’s Apartments in Milano’s Palazzo Reale into a scene of splendour, bounty, and the eternal dance between art and the ideal of perfection. The Art of the Table is not just an exhibition, but a study in how to arrange a table to feed all the senses. A theatrical performance much more telling of man’s place in society than any historical account. Even loosely translated from the Italian, the official title of the exhibition, Conviviando – L’arte della tavola tra passato e future (Living together: the art of the table then now) really says it all. Building bridges over more than three hundred years of human history – from the Baroque period, through Rococo, Romanticism and Art Deco, all the way to present day, table arranging reflects the constant striving for perfection in the most everyday of rituals: eating.