Contemporary Art & Vineyard: the Unique Alliance of Château d’Arsac
At Château d’Arsac, art is not contemplated in silence behind glass. It finds its way into the vineyards, dialogues with the cellars, and appears around every vine. For over thirty years, a unique artistic approach has transformed this wine estate into a true open-air museum, where each work tells a story of an encounter, an emotion, a vintage.
I Need – Sam Dougados
The Bird Fountain – J.M Folon
The Brooklyn Watchman – Gilles Sarthou
The Bicycle Thief – Romain Barelier
The Wings of the Earth – Susumu Shingu
The Rotunda – Jean-Michel Meurice
Skywatcher – Rotraut Klein Moquay
A Living Collection Funded by the Vineyard Itself
It all began in 1990, with a bold idea from Philippe Raoux: to make the vineyard a patron. Each vine symbolically contributes to the acquisition of a contemporary work of art. Since then, a new piece has been added to the collection each year, installed in the vineyards, gardens, or buildings of the estate.
The result? The largest private collection of monumental sculptures in the Southwest, boasting over 40 original works by world-renowned artists.
The Sculpture Garden: an Open-Air Museum in the Heart of Médoc
An Artistic Stroll through the Vineyards
Château d’Arsac’s Sculpture Garden is not a static exhibition. It is a sensory and poetic journey, where monumental works are encountered, installed in the landscape, in perfect resonance with nature and the work of the vineyard. Here, visitors become wanderers, their gaze lost between a Cabernet Sauvignon vine and a creation by Jean-Michel Folon.
You can discover the artworks in the park, this open-air museum attracts art lovers, the curious, and aesthetes from around the world.
Major Artists, a Singular Vision
Each work acquired at Château d’Arsac is the result of a personal, human, and sensitive choice. Not an accumulation, but a narrative: that of a living estate where wine and art coexist.
Among the collection’s emblematic artists:
Bernard Pagès
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Le Grand Dévers, La Déjetée, Le Chevêtre, La Colonne aux Bidons Écrasés, Les Cariatides
Jean-Michel Folon
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The Bird Fountain, The Bird, the Merci Jean fresco in the barrel cellar
Niki de Saint Phalle
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Mother & Child, Sun
Bernar Venet
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La Diagonale d’Arsac, Saturation
Susumu Shinghu
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The Wings of the Earth, The Tree of the Sun… Two monumental sculptures
Mark di Suvero, Arne Quinze, William Sweetlove, Erro, Zhang Dali, Sam Dougados, Christian Lapie, Simon Beer, Romain Barelier… and many more.
Each work is an encounter. Each location, a dialogue between the artist, the place, and the history of the estate.
When Wine Becomes Artistic Language
At Château d’Arsac, wine and art do not merely coexist — they interpret each other. As Philippe Raoux says:
“A wine estate cannot speak. And yet, it has many stories to tell.”
The estate’s motto, “The Marriage of Taste and Beauty”, is not just a slogan.
It is a philosophy that permeates every vintage, every visit, every sculpture.
