By virtue of Anna Pavlova (@artgourmetlifestyle), a unique project &ldquo;Art &amp; Gourmet&rdquo; has been established in Estonia, combining various art forms - from painting and sculpture to perfumery, fashion and gastronomy. Anna believes that an ultimate aesthetic pleasure can be delivered to the guests by influencing all five senses and that the inspiration and positive emotions guests receive from immersing in the world of Art &amp; Gourmet should be carried further into our everyday life, making it a little better.

How did you arrive at the creation of your &ldquo;Art &amp; Gourmet&rdquo; project?
Despite the fact that my education and work are far from art - I am a financier, working on a doctoral dissertation on the topic of of Artificial Intelligence in finance and accounting - I have always been captivated by literature and art. I think, my parents were role models for me and developed my appreciation for art - they are both doctors and in this profession, one cannot survive without a sense of humour, philosophy, art and acting skills. &ldquo;Art is given to us to distract from the prose of life,&rdquo; my father told me, who, after working in intensive care, went to recite poetry on the stage of the theatre... Love for literature, art, and antiques, a romantic attitude towards the past, history, and traditions, as well as my mother's passion for hosting guests with style, led me to the idea of creating the secular salon Art &amp; Gourmet in Tallinn. I really wanted to unite like-minded people, the connoisseurs and the aesthetes, unobtrusively and for the benefit of everyone, who, like me, would be interested to immerse into the world of art and gourmet pleasures.

What makes your secular salon different from other similar events?
The idea of "Art &amp; Gourmet" is to combine the intellectual pleasures with the allure and influence on all five senses of the guests in a sophisticated way in order to transmit the atmosphere of the event. This lets the guests relax and grasp the pleasures of living creating comprehensive memories of the moment. For example, it is very important for us that visually the surrounding is refined, and the tastes of gourmets deliciously impress our guests, plunging into sheer pleasure. That is why we collaborate with five-star hotels and the chefs of restaurants with the Michelin star or at least the ones noted in the Michelin guide. Fortunately, such places have now appeared in Tallinn. As for the olfaction effect, depending on the theme, guests might taste the aromas of various perfumery houses that can take you to the lavender fields of Provence or to the refreshing sea with a fresh Norwegian breeze and leave a special memory of the evening.
Please tell us more about the topics you covered for your guests.
I choose unusual topics, trying to make a non-trivial mix - for example, one of our events was called "AstroPerfumery". The guest-lecturers I invited (the astrologist and the perfumery experts) talked about the connection between astrology and perfumery, as well as about the psychological impact that smells have on us and which fragrances to use to enhance our charisma. But most of all I love to delve into some kind of exclusive, deep understanding of art. Once, in cooperation with the international gallery ArtStac, we brought an original artwork of Claude Monet for an exclusive exhibition to the guests of Art &amp; Gourmet. The painting, with all possible insurance and protection, was delivered from a private collection in France to be exhibited in Tallinn for just a couple of days. We hung it among the other paintings in the gallery, and there was an element of intrigue in this: at the beginning of the evening, the guests had to independently determine which painting belongs to Monet. I can say with pride that everyone managed well with this task. The exhibition was combined with the lecture "The Secrets of the bohemian life of Montmartre" which allowed us to delve into the understanding of the life and psychology of impressionists.

Who creates the theme and concept of the event?
I create them myself, therefore, the events are exclusive and not regular, everything happens by inspiration and depends on the topic, location and experts I invite. How the themes are born? Sometimes they arise from the conversations with the aesthetes I know. But sometimes it seems to me that the concepts and ideas are in the air - I might accidentally find the right elements of the event. However, there is nothing accidental in this, you just need to be open to everything new. In 2020, we were the first in Tallinn to break the rules of wine tasting but we did it with elegance and class. The event was called &ldquo;Ros&eacute;, Provence, Perfumery&rdquo;, and, as you know, perfumery cannot be combined with wine tastings. So how could we do it organically? After brainstorming with the sommelier and the perfumer, we structured the tasting in such a way that five perfume compositions were selected for each of the five wines, emphasizing the aromatic notes. It was lovely to see how the connoisseurs get surprised and enjoyed the concept! Just imagine the warm August evening, ros&eacute;, perfumery, and elegant delicacies from Provence - foie gras, terrines... After us, others adopted this format of tastings, but I'm actually just glad of this fact because competition develops quality and encourages all industry players to come up with something new.
Do you already know the topics of the next events?
There are plans to hold an event on the Cote d'Azur, so one of the next topics will be Afternoon tea on the Cote d'Azur with the participation of an etiquette expert and a tea ceremony. We will fly there in a private jet, the guests will be served petite soir&eacute;e in the sky, accompanied by good wines and captivating dialogues about art with the art expert. Upon arrival, we will have afternoon tea, a lecture and a tour of the Cote d'Azur. This small private event by Art &amp; Gourmet is best to be done in Autumn to slightly extend the Summer season and change the landscape. I hope that the Latvian guests would also like to join us.

You introduce the guests of Art &amp; Gourmet to various objects of art - paintings by Monet, Lalique vases, and Maison Daum crystal. Do you also collect things yourself?
I collect rare antique books that I bring from different countries because they attract me by their aesthetics and energy that come from the yellowed pages, this resonates with my life philosophy. I attach great importance to the &ldquo;attributes of existence&rdquo; that remain after us.
At some point, I asked myself a few questions. What have I given to this world? What will I leave after me? What will tell the next generations that I lived? And I realized that I would like to publish a book. In fact, there is already one - this is a scientific and business book I published as a co-author with one honourable and reputable professional in the field of credit risks. The book is called "Cash Flow in Credit Risk and Forecasting". In the upcoming years, I will definitely publish a book on the topic of dynastic wealth and finance, which will include interviews with people who know how to preserve and increase their capital and pass it on to the next generations. I hope this will be a useful book for many people around the world.
And I also write poetry. Not out of vanity or a will to be famous - but just for myself. I don&rsquo;t compare myself with anyone, because everyone has their own path, their own life, their own unique story. Since I have a lot of poems on vital topics, I would like to publish a book of poetry - it will be a small book illustrated by talented artists. The book may be lost among a million other books, but it will be my &ldquo;attribute of existence&rdquo;, which will surely touch the hearts and minds of its connoisseurs.
Everything I do can be done by everyone, and by my actions, I would like to encourage other people to believe in themselves and be more active for the benefit of society. I am convinced that each of us has the opportunity to take action that will make ourselves and the world around us better. Our greatest inspiration is ourselves. The main thing is to act out of good intentions, without expecting anything in return, selflessly, out of a desire to share your talents with the world and somehow help others. I am glad that the "Art &amp; Gourmet" project helps people to relax, enjoy the pleasures of life and grasp positive emotions. So that the guests inspired by the events carry positive energy further embedding it into the action, even if it's just a kind word said to children or a smile to the people around.
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Anna Pavlova: “Our Greatest Inspiration Is Ourselves”

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