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10 works of art good enough to eat

28 September 2015

Calling all art-loving bakers - cook up an 'Edible Masterpiece' and help raise money for UK museums and galleries. Get Creative Champion, The Art Fund are running their Edible Masterpieces fundraising initiative which has asked the British public to get into the kitchen to cook up a variety of appetizing artworks. There are only two weeks left to submit your entries so here are ten mouth-watering examples to awaken your pallette.

1. A cheese carving inspired by Auguste Rodin's 'The Kiss' 1901

Not all romance is cheesy but this embrace certainly is - it's made from cheddar! In the original sculpture by French sculptor Auguste Rodin, made from marble, the lovers' lips do not actually touch.

Edible Masterpieces

Now in its second year, the initiative asks for images of the public’s very own Edible Masterpieces, inspired by iconic works of art, which can be submitted at artfund.org/edible. Participants can submit their entries until 11pm on Sunday 11 October, and on 13 October a panel of esteemed judges will choose one winning creation to be announced on 14 October.

The judges are: Jonathan Jones, journalist and art critic for The Guardian, Rowley Leigh, chef, restaurateur and journalist and Frances Quinn, winner of the BBC’s Great British Bake Off 2013.

2. A flapjack inspired by Edvard Munch's 'The Scream', 1893

Perhaps the most famous version of 'The Scream' hangs in the National Gallery, Oslo and was stolen in 1994 but subsequently recovered. It has been described as "a Mona Lisa for our time".

3. A bread carving inspired by Barbara Hepworth's 'Pelagos', 1946

The original 'Pelagos', which means 'sea' in Greek, is made form wood and was inspired by two arms of land enfolding the sea on either side. The spiral echoes the shape of a wave, a shell or the roll of a hill. Yes we said "roll".

4. Cake inspired by Tracey Emin's 'My Bed', 1998

This entry was submitted last year by @beckyleopardoll via Twitter and brings new meaning to the idea of edible underwear. Tracey Emin's original artwork which was nominated for the Turner Prize, divided critics in 1998 but last year the piece sold at auction in London for £2.2m

5. Inspired by The Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci, c1506

One of last year's entries by @bellanapolinews via Twitter. Despite a high-profile archaeological dig in Florence, experts are no closer to confirming the identifying the enigmatic model in Da Vinci's real masterpiece. But at least we now know what she looks like in tomato sauce.

7. Inspired by The Treachery of Images, 1928–29 by René Magritte

Submitted by @Castle_Art8

6. Inspired by the Eiffel Tower, erected in 1889

Submitted by @razorfishlondon. We wouldn't suggest eating this one in case you "pylon" the pounds.

8. The Son of Man by René Magritte, 1964

Submitted by @cj78. Magritte has proved a popular choice with past entrants to The Art Fund's' Edible Masterpieces' as well as with pop culture in general. This painting itself has been directly referenced by prog rockers Yes and global arbiters of artistic taste, The Simpsons.

9. A chocolate display inspired by Richard Long’s 'South Bank Circle', 1991

South Bank Circle was created in 1991 for a retrospective of Long's work at the Hayward Gallery at the South Bank Centre in London. The original is a circle, nearly two metres in diameter, composed of pieces of slate.

10. Inspired by 'Alex, bassist. Dave, drummer. Graham, guitarist. Damon, singer' by Julian Opie, 2000

Britpop in beans: this one is made out of jelly beans. The original is an example of digital art: Opie was commissioned to produce these four portraits for the cover of the album Blur: The Best Of in 2000

Over to you...

Now you've seen the potential why not have a try yourself. Participants can create their own masterpieces at home, or rally together in early October to host a bake-off style competition with family, friends and colleagues, raising extra funds and seeing who has the best culinary skills.

‘I want to find an Edible Masterpiece that looks really tempting to eat while strongly evoking, portraying or imitating an exciting artist or work of art’
Jonathan Jones, judge

This year will also see the launch of Edible Masters, a group of ambassadors who will drive the initiative in their respective regions by hosting a series of events with the hope of raising even more money for the cause.

All funds raised through Edible Masterpieces will go towards supporting museums and galleries across the UK through the Art Fund’s charitable programme, helping to buy and display great art for everyone to enjoy.

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