Cafés in museums and galleries do more than provide convenience — they have become an essential part of today’s cultural experience. As Claire Bishop explains in her idea of the “expanded aesthetic experience,” cultural spaces now include hybrid environments that encourage new ways of engaging, socializing, and reflecting. In this context, cafés are not just places to rest; they extend the visit on both sensory and symbolic levels, offering moments of interaction and contemplation in carefully designed settings. By blending architecture, art, and hospitality, they help create immersive and welcoming atmospheres — a concept already hinted at by Brian O’Doherty, who viewed exhibition spaces as an integral part of the artwork itself.
This growing focus on cafés is reflected in architectural projects that treat them as meaningful parts of cultural institutions, designed in harmony with their setting and mission. In places like the Kunsthaus Graz in Austria and the new Munch Museum in Norway, the café stands out as a key architectural feature, thoughtfully designed with attention to materials, natural light, visitor flow, and views of the surrounding landscape. In some cases, these cafés even act as conceptual extensions of the museum’s content, deepening the connection between space and exhibition.
