What’s on the Menu

February 21–May 26, 2024
The Wolfsonian–FIU @ 1001 Washington Avenue

Beginning in the 1920s, restaurant and nightclub owners used all the tools of modern graphic design—vibrant colors, bold lettering, and striking images—to promote their businesses on printed materials. These establishments often commissioned commercial artists to create alluring menu covers that drew in customers by teasing an array of attractions, including celebrity sightings, risqué burlesque, exotic foods, and sophisticated surroundings. Featuring nearly 50 menus from the U.S. and Cuba, along with programs, postcards, matchbooks, and other items from iconic eateries on land, at sea, and in the air, What’s on the Menu offers a glimpse of nightlife and dining in an age of glamour.

This installation is inspired by a recently promised gift from Vicki Gold Levi.