The evening unfolded not in a restaurant, but within the evocative walls of Art+ Gallery, transformed for the night into an intimate sanctuary. Jay Lyon, the gallery’s founder, welcomed just twelve of us to a private dinner set right in the heart of the exhibition space, with the cuisine provided by the renowned Franca Brasserie.
Surrounded by the iconic, time-stopping works of Douglas Kirkland, on display to the public from 22 April to 6 May, we were completely immersed in the theme of the night: Romance. The walls whispered stories of Hollywood royalty and fleeting, unguarded moments. Looking at the portraits, particularly those of Brigitte Bardot and Marilyn Monroe, I was struck by the raw intimacy Douglas was able to capture. With Bardot, it was that untamed, effortless allure; with Marilyn, it was all in the eyes. I found myself lost in them, wondering what those women were thinking in that exact second, what quiet emotions were swirling just beneath the surface, and how a photographer could capture such delicate vulnerability.
That same passion was mirrored on the plate, with Franca Brasserie delivering a sensory journey that felt perfectly choreographed to the art around us.
We began with a delicate Doppio Ravioli, pillows of pasta filled with earthy pumpkin and tangy goat’s cheese, swimming in a nutty brown butter and sage sauce. It was paired exquisitely with a Krinklewood Semillon, its crisp, floral, and bright citrus notes cutting through the richness of the butter.
The main course was indulgent: a Jack’s Creek Sirloin, meltingly tender and crowned with a decadent Café de Paris butter. It was balanced by the crisp bite of butter lettuce tossed in a sharp lemon vinaigrette, and a luxurious side of creamed broccoli elevated with mascarpone, garlic, and a hint of chilli. To match the depth of the sirloin, our glasses were filled with a Krinklewood Wild Shiraz. Bold, earthy, and kissed with dark berry and spice, the wine wrapped around the rich flavours of the beef beautifully.
To finish, a Valrhona Chocolate Entremet offered a masterstroke of dark, velvety cocoa and roasted hazelnut, softened by a nostalgic malted milk ice cream. A final pour of the Wild Shiraz brought forward the deep, romantic bitterness of the dark chocolate.
Yet, as exquisite as the meal was, Francoise Kirkland was the undeniable star of the evening. She made this gallery space feel like her own private dining room. As she shared her memories, flipping through the pages of Romance, one image completely captivated me: Faye Dunaway and Douglas in Italy, 1968.
If you didn’t know the man behind the wheel was Douglas, you would simply see a cinematic dream of a man driving a classic convertible, with a woman sitting playfully on the window sill. She’s wearing oversized sunglasses, layers of gold necklaces and pearls, the sun on her skin, and the wind dancing through her hair. Looking at that photograph, I realised this is where love truly gets it right. It is the ultimate travel moment, a pure, unadulterated surrender to enjoying the now.
As the evening flowed with laughter and shared confessions across the table, Francoise passed around her leather-bound notebook and asked us to write down our answer to a beautifully daunting question: “What does Romance mean to us?”
Honestly, it was a little hard to put into words. I found myself daydreaming of being romantic with a woman I have yet to meet. I wondered how Douglas would have captured our moment in time. So, I wrote about a quiet vision: a moment of ‘her’ sitting on the kitchen counter, partially nude, simply eating pasta. All I could do in that daydream was look at her with the exact same utter devotion with which she looked at the food.
Francoise, with a knowing smile, then shared her own deeply personal definition. She took us back to a moment in 1972, sitting in a field in the nude, staring into Douglas’s eyes. She told him, “I will love you without reservation, without expecting anything.” His reply? “Show me your breasts.” The table erupted in laughter, but her takeaway from a lifetime of that kind of fiery, unapologetic connection was profound. “Never my best friend,” she told us. “My lover, Yes.”
It was an unforgettable night of art, gastronomy, and candid humanity. I left the gallery with a personally signed copy of the book, and an inscription from Francoise that I will forever cherish.
