Cafe des Artistes is both chic cafe and art space. It began with a desire to provide an inclusive home for Amman's vibrant emerging art scene. But in three short months, the cafe has rapidly come to define it.
The concept itself is antiquated – and as the name suggests, a little bit French. In the Nineteenth century impressionists such as Manet and Degas were no longer welcome in the salons of Paris. So they moved to the Cafes instead. In so doing they took a whole generation of artists with them. Art moved from gilded rooms to coffee tables and boulevards.
At Café Des Artistes we’re taken this story, and given it a modern, urbane, and commercial twist. Creative people tend to hang out with creative people. So we offered them a prominent home on Rainbow Street – at the very centre of Amman’s culture and its nightlife. In addition to an exquisite menu, the Café screens movies, art classes, has live music performances and holds exhibitions on a weekly basis. There’s almost always something going on. Just because its art doesn’t mean it has to be stuffy right?
The idea is to be many things to many different types of people – to be more than a gallery and more than a restaurant. Of course we’ve worked hard to provide some of the best food in town, and a stunning decor – from the old-world staircase to our trademark balcony. It’s also true that our opening exhibition attracted one of the largest gatherings for an ‘art opening’ in the city for a very long time. But it’s not enough. Café Des Artistes hopes to become the hub, node and incubator for artistic enterprise in Amman.
The idea is not just to sell food, or create a community. The idea is to create a market – a situation in which artists can make a living from their work, and audiences can feel comfortable about buying it. By making art more accessible and affordable we’re not simply promoting art - we’re investing in its future. We believe there’s not only an inherent worth in that, but that it makes sound business sense too.
Art in Amman is expanding and developing at a rapid pace. The ebb and flow of the cities creative life is changing all the time. Our team is young and passionate. Our walls are organic and ever-changing. Café Des Artists is successfully positioning itself not just as a platform for the emerging, alternative and disaffected, but as the outlier of an often underestimated capital’s new art reality.
