Café Society: Art and Sociability in Paris, 1855–1914

This visual arts exhibition looks at the rise of the French café and its many forms, from bistros and brasseries to cafés-concerts, dance halls, and cabarets. Works by French and expatriate artists show cafés not just as lively social settings, but as subjects that helped shape artistic dialogue, expression, and experimentation.

For Omaha museumgoers, Café Society at Joslyn Art Museum offers a focused look at the social world behind some of the most recognizable names in nineteenth- and early twentieth-century art. It connects familiar artists such as Renoir, Van Gogh, and Degas with the everyday places where artists, writers, and performers gathered, exchanged ideas, and turned modern life into art.