Detroit Art Exhibit Explores Influence of Caffeinated Drinks

A new museum exhibit in Detroit will tell the story of how hot coffee, tea, and chocolate beverages became popular in the 200 years or so following their introduction as commercial products in the 16th and 17th centuries.

The Detroit Free Press reports the exhibit, “Bitter/Sweet: Coffee, Tea, & Chocolate,” opens Sunday at the Detroit Institute of Arts. Yao-Fen Your, associate curator of European sculpture and decorative arts, curated the exhibit.

The exhibit uses about 70 works of ceramic, prints, paintings, silver, and more to show how caffeinated drinks influenced society and art as they changed from exotic luxury goods to markers of a rising middle class.

The coffee, tea, and chocolate trend influenced drinking habits and social interactions, as well as prompted an explosion in the manufacture of products such as coffee cups, teapot, and sugar bowls.