Françoise Spiekermeier
In Provence, sculpture is in the nature
The key to the field has been stolen! They've blown away and taken to nature. Works of the imagination of all sizes, monumental or plant-based, sculptures will be posing in the heart of gardens. Here's a brief overview of these new cultural venues in Provence, where contemporary art smells of rosemary.
Stay in the heart of the vineyards and the unmissable Château de la Gaude collection, in Provence
Luxury, calm, art and pleasure. In the heart of the Aix countryside, the elegant 18th-century façade of Château de la Gaude, surrounded by formal gardens, conceals an incredible resort with a luxurious yet relaxed atmosphere. The 5* hotel, surrounded by vineyards and groves of umbrella pines, has turned its exteriors into exhibition spaces for the monumental works of a collection that favors the great classics in uncommon versions. From the outset, French artist Philippe Pasqua adds an unusual, grating touch with a gilded butterfly vanity that compels one to look up as if at the foot of an altar.
In a boxwood alley leading to the tables on the terrace, the restaurant waiters skirt around the prominent breasts of Ginette, one of six copies of a bronze by César...
With its steady stream of acquisitions, Château de la Gaude has established itself season after season as an essential venue for the discovery of contemporary art.
Away from the main building, cosy round pavilions allow visitors to sleep in the shade of oak trees, with a window opening onto the Milky Way.
A stone's throw away, Philippe Pasqua's silvery skeleton of a T-rex looks as if it has escaped from a natural history museum... The work is the first on an art trail through the vineyards, due to open in 2025.
In the meantime, 165.5˚ Arc x 24, a work in Corten steel by Bernar Venet, has just landed like a feather on the lawns at the end of the garden.
Meet the great masters of the 20th century in the grounds of the Bernar Venet Foundation in Provence
It's a place totally apart, a romantic park on the banks of a river lined with weeping willows, just a stone's throw from the village of Le Muy. In "l'Usine", an oversized white shed where railroad equipment was manufactured in the last century, French artist Bernar Venet has realized his dream.
He has found a workshop large enough to create the vertiginous or minimalist Corten steel sculptures he has been scattering all over the world. Some are displayed in the grounds of his property, alongside works of minimal and conceptual art - which he collects - by Sol LeWitt, Tony Cragg, Frank Stella, Richard Deacon.
Every summer, a new exhibition takes visitors on a tour of his territory in Provence, a creation in itself that represents the culmination of over sixty years of artistic practice.
Invite yourself to the Commanderie de Peyrassol, home to France's largest collection of open-air monumental sculptures.
When you enter the grounds of the Commanderie de Peyrassol, founded in 13th-century Provence by the Knights Templar, you'd be hard-pressed to imagine that you're entering the lair of one of France's leading contemporary art collectors.
In the foothills of the Massif des Maures, nestled in a vast cirque sheltered from the winds, this Provencal countryside has preserved its authentic character.
As you stroll along the path winding through vineyards and woods, you'll come across no fewer than seventy-six monumental sculptures, some more discreet than others. All were chosen and acquired by the owner, Philippe Austruy, a businessman in the private healthcare sector, following his meetings with the artists. Having fallen under the spell of the site in 2001, he acquired this 850-hectare estate, 92 of which are vineyards, and opened it to the public in 2015.
A perfect alchemy of wine and spirit, Peyrassol has become a must-see address for lovers of contemporary creation. Works by Daniel Buren, Jean Dubuffet, Niki de Saint Phalle, Dan Graham, Carsten Höller, Richard Long, as well as artists in residence, can be seen here. In this 2024 season, the artist in the spotlight, Bertrand Lavier, presents some twenty new works from April to November. He's taken on the game of blending, creating a rosé cuvée in his own name and a signature dish on the menu of Chez Jeannette, the gourmet restaurant perched above the vines under Daniel Buren's colorful flags.
Choose your next folie des grandeur in an open-air gallery at Domaine du Muy
It's a wild scrubland dotted with undulating pine forests on the road to Saint-Tropez. A path winds along its slopes and, as it loops, invites you to come face-to-face with a work of art in the open air. At the Domaine du Muy, you feel free, totally unencumbered by the expected. In this rugged, sun-drenched setting, creation expresses itself in all its glory. There are some forty works cleverly scattered along the route, allowing visitors to discover a collection of totemic pieces, some of them unique, designed in situ to withstand the elements. Entirely dedicated to monumental art, this unusual venue was imagined by Parisian gallery owner Jean-Gabriel Mitterrand, more accustomed to the Marais district.
Passionate about large-scale creations, he has specialized in erecting large-scale structures in collaboration with major artists. In 2014, together with his son Edward, he conceived this new concept for private collectors and museum representatives: a veritable laboratory for learning about the mysteries of layout, the relationship between the work and the landscape, and the study of the synergy between art and nature.
The incredible diversity of creations is based on partnerships with prestigious galleries such as Emmanuel Perrotin, Esther Schipper and Larry Gagosian. Visitors come face-to-face with surprising works such as this "giant bench" by Jean-François Fourtou, among other "celebrities" of contemporary art: Dennis Oppenheim, pioneer of Earth Art, Claude Parent, Xavier Veilhan, Niki de Saint Phalle. Great works require great means.
Take inspiration from designer Pierre Yovanovitch's home at Château de Fabrègues
Since 2009, Château de Fabrègues has been a haven for interior designer and architect Pierre Yovanovitch. An admirer of traditional craftsmanship, he has entirely restored this magnificent 17th-century residence and its farmland, calling on craftsmen skilled in ancient techniques such as gypsery for the building, and adding a touch of imagination to the ceiling decoration. But it's in the heart of the gardens that the designer's deep love of contemporary art comes to the fore, making it an essential part of his life. His privileged relationship with artists has enabled him to give them carte blanche to bring together works created for and at Fabrègues, which change our understanding of place and space through their radical, controversial and meaningful spirit: A fountain-sculpture by Claire Tabouret, an outdoor sculpture by Johan Creten, an installation by Tadashi Kawamata, a fresco by Matthieu Cossé... Each piece, perfectly placed at a strategic point on the outskirts of the mansion, constitutes a disruptive element in this setting cultivating order and beauty from all eternity.
