Easter may have been and gone, but all of those chocolate eggs really got us in the mood for candy. Sugar has been coveted across the globe for centuries, and it’s not exactly difficult to see why. Many artists have also used the sweet stuff in their work, too. So, without further ado, here’s a brief look at some of the best candy in art history.
Still Life With Sweets And Pottery By Juan van der Hamen
This seventeenth century spread looks super luxurious, just look at those candied fruits! We’ve suddenly had an urge to crystallise our fruit baskets!
Still Life With Cakes By Josefa de Obidos
OK, so maybe cake isn’t exactly the same as candy, but it’s pretty damn close! We just love the yellow tones to these sweetmeats, accompanied by golden flowers.
This Gumball Machine by Wayne Thiebaud
Who didn’t love these candy machines when they were kids? Super retro and super colourful, this takes us straight back to our youth. We just need to go find out where we put our pocket money!
This Mug Of Hot Chocolate By Giuseppe Bonito
Hot chocolate is basically liquid candy, and what’s better than drinkable chocolate? Drinking chocolate in a massive gown accompanied by your pampered pooch!
Peter Anton’s Chocolate Bunny
Peter Anton is an artist obsessed with sweets! Really, it’s pretty hard to pick a favourite from his candy shop, but given that Easter has just passed, here’s a pretty spectacular rendition of a bunny-shaped Easter egg.
This Lolly Pop Heap By Felix Gonzalez Torres
What a haul! The artist made many candy heaps and actually allowed viewers to take their own sweets from his piles of sugar. But actually, these installations had profound messages, on one such occasion the massive heap of wrapped confectionary represented the quantity of pills that those suffering with HIV have to take in their lifetime. Using candy to get a message across: smart!
Farhad Moshiri’s And Shirin Aliabadi’s Toblerone
The Toblerone is pretty iconic, but this chocolate bar is a little different to the candy we’re used to. Across the packaging from the work from a series of works called ‘Operation Supermarket’ is written Tolerating Intolerance, commenting on global consumerism and the effect of Western capitalism on people’s lives.
Sharon Core’s Party Spread
Do you remember buffet tables like these when you were little? We sure as hell do, and we actually kinda miss it. Pure nostalgia really hits the sweet spot!
Shirin Aliabadi’s Bubblegum Queen
Who doesn’t love blowing bubbles? This iconic work by the late Shirin Aliabadi is famous for the way in which it comments on the influence of western culture on women’s values in traditional Iranian.
Text Lizzy Vartanian
