A first glimpse of Marsi
An artful cafe serving the late Princess' favourite food is meant as an "appetizer" for the forthcoming gallery
ACCLAIMED IN the West for her intricate surrealist paintings, Her Serene Highness the late Princess Marsi Sukhumbhand Paribatra was little known in her homeland. The Marsi Foundation is in the process of establishing a gallery of her work in Bangkok, but in the meantime some of her finest pieces are on display at the just-opened cafe L’atelier de Marsi.
MR Jisnuson Svasti, the Princess’ cousin, has opened the cafe on the second floor of the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre. He’s also chairman of the foundation, which aims to complete a permanent, 700-square-metre public gallery on Soi Langsuan within the next three years.
Adorned with reproductions of the Princess’ paintings, the “atelier” is simply decorated. One wall is painted lavender to evoke the flower-bedecked fields surrounding the village of Annot in the south of France where she lived and worked for more than 40 years.
“The cafe is designed to promote her work while the gallery is under construction,” Jisnuson says. “It’s a meeting place for art-lovers, too. While serving the Princess’ favourite easy-to-eat dishes, snacks and drinks, we also sell souvenirs such as books, fridge magnets, badges, tote bags and blank greeting cards.”
Princess Marsi, who died in 2013 at age 82, was the daughter of His Royal Highness Prince Chumbhot of Nagor Svarga and MR Pantip Paribatra. It always amused friends and family that she wrote with her left hand but painted with her right – until a stroke in 2004 paralysed her right side, rendering her unable to paint at all.
Her studio in France held a menagerie of cats, dogs, chickens and other birds, all of which doubled as her models. In her later works, animals were frequently depicted amid natural surroundings, classical architecture and scenes from Greek mythology.
Marsi held a PhD in literature from the University of Paris and another in art history from the University of Madrid. She received no formal training in painting until age 30, and even so remained largely self-taught, learning from artist friends and from close study of museum masterpieces.
“The Princess loved dishes that were easy to cook,” Jisnuson recalls. “She always had chilli paste and sauce in the refrigerator ready to add to steamed rice or spaghetti. One of her favourite meals was called ‘Annot fried rice’, made with garlic, egg and soy sauce and named after the village where she lived.”
Annot was an artist colony, surrounded by natural beauty. Marsi’s residence there from 1970 on was called Vellara, dominated by a large studio cluttered with birdcages and bird nests – though their denizens flew about freely. A makeshift shield over her easel kept them from soiling her canvases.
Cats and dogs also roamed around at will, often wandering straight into her fantastical paintings.
In honour of Vellara, the cafe has Spaghetti Vellara (Bt120), assembled with olive oil, dried chillies and sun-dried tomatoes and served with mixed salad.
Marsi’s Rice with Tamarind Chilli Paste (Bt150) is just the right combination of sweet, sour and spicy. The chilli paste comes in a tiny mortar, while a platter also carry a Thai-style omelette, vegetables and steamed rice.
Equally tempting is Rice Mixed with Shrimp Dip and Sweetened Pork (Bt160), with the rice surrounded by a nam prik of dried shrimp and shrimp paste, salted egg, puffy-fried catfish, whole-clove garlic, sweetened pork and fresh vegetables.
Worth trying is Rice Mixed with Pickled Bean Curd and Minced Chicken (Bt110). It’s accompanied by a Thai omelette, crisp-fried dried shrimp, chopped chillies and shallots, a slice of lemon and mixed vegetables.
For a lighter dish there is Lemongrass and Herb Salad with Vegetable Leaves (Bt120), a miang-style appetiser of julienned lemongrass, fried shallots, roasted cashew nuts, chopped chilli and a sour herbal dressing. These are to be wrapped in chaplu leaves and popped in the mouth.
A truly fiery dish is Spicy Minced Pork on Rice Cracker (Bt85), again served with fresh vegetables. And, for vegetarians, Mushroom Bruschetta (Bt85) is a tasty option, with slices of toasted bread topped with sauteed mushrooms, cheese and olive oil.
TREATS FOR EYES AND TUMMY
>>L’atelier de Marsi is on the second floor of the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre at the Pathumwan intersection (National Stadium BTS station).
>>It’s open daily except Monday from 11am to 9pm. Call (02) 004 2254.
>>Learn more about life and work of Princess Marsi at www.MarsiFoundation.org.
