Asked to describe her ideal last meal, Julia Child (whose 100th birthday would have been today) imagined a joyfully decadent menu building from caviar, Russian vodka sauce, and oysters with Pouilly-Fuisse wine to pommes anna and fresh asparagus. Dessert might include ripe pears and green tea or sorbet with walnut cake. Appetite for Life: The Biography of Julia Child (1997) also lists among the heroic foody’s go-to comfort food red meat and gin. Many an artist has also turned to food and flavors for inspiration and happiness. In honor of Julia Child, we present some of the most delectable food moments in The Phillips Collection .
- Pierre Bonnard, Bowl of Cherries, 1920. Oil on canvas, 11 7/8 x 16 1/2 in. Gift of Marion L. Ring Estate, 1987.
- John D. Graham, Pears, 1926. Oil on canvas; 14 1/8 x 17 1/8 in. Gift of Marjorie Phillips, 1985.
- Marjorie Phillips, The Big Pear, 1955. Oil on canvas, 12 1/8 x 14 in. Acquired 1955 (?)
- Joseph Goldyne, Asparagus at the Phillips, 1979. Monotype on paper, 3 1/2 x 3 in. Gift of the artist, 1979.
- Paul Gauguin, The Ham, 1889. Oil on canvas, 19 3/4 x 22 3/4 in. Acquired 1951.
- Georges Braque, Lemons and Oysters, 1927. Oil on canvas, 10 3/4 x 13 3/4 in. Acquired 1941.





