The Top Six Art And Architectural Highlights Of Chateau La Coste

Jean Nouvel, Frank Gehry, Louise Bourgeois, Alexander Calder, Richard Serra, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Sean Scully, Tom Shannon or Andy Goldsworthy – these are just some of the virtuosos whose creations you’ll encounter on a stroll at Chateau La Coste. Set amidst the hills just north of Aix-en-Provence in southeastern France, the 500-acre estate – of which 300 acres are devoted to biodynamically cultivated vineyards – is a world-class open-air museum featuring major works by the hottest names in art and architecture, which was purchased in 2002 by Belfast-born art collector and property magnate Paddy McKillen. We shine the spotlight on six of our favorite pieces spotted at Chateau La Coste.

Tadao Ando Chapel & La Grande Croix Rouge by Jean-Michel Othoniel

The cross by the French artist is made from red Murano glass orbs echoing the color of wine and the blood of Christ. It stands beside Ando’s Modernist chapel in glass and steel, which envelopes a restored 16^th-century stone structure that once welcomed pilgrims en route to Santiago de Compostela and presents three openings for daylight to enter the darkened interiors.

Jean Prouvé Guest Suite 30

In 2015, this prefab 6x6 demountable house originally created in 1944 by one of the key figures in the history of 20^th-century architecture and design for war victims in the French region of Lorraine was adapted by the architectural firm Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, introducing modern living facilities like electricity, hot water, solar panels, a kitchen and a bathroom, making it completely autonomous. It thereby fits into Prouvé’s philosophy where his structures were assembled and articulated by the use of clever mechanisms, allowing furniture as well as buildings to be easily modified, dismantled and moved.

Komorebi by Kengo Kuma

Composed of 1.5 tons of stainless steel supporting 239 beams of Brazilian walnut weighing 12 tons, the cantilevering structure by the Japanese architect known for his open, airy spaces that are at one with nature is massive and heavy while evoking a certain sense of lightness.

Renzo Piano Exhibition Pavilion

The 285-sqm art gallery with an origami-like white sail roof designed by the Italian architect, its folds aligned with the neat rows of surrounding grapevines, is partially buried to incorporate the building into the vineyard.

Or Do by John Rocha

The Hong Kong-born fashion designer has built an intimate, concealed and obscure space for reflection with walls encrusted entirely in Waterford Crystal that sparkle infinitely, sober black floors and bench in Kilkenny marble and cross motifs inspired by medieval Celtic high crosses, which is accessed via an unexpected green wall passageway. 

Meditation Bell by Paul Matisse 

Focusing on sounds, the American sculptor and engineer who’s the grandson of Henri Matisse created a complex, avant-garde bell installation composed of a heavy aluminum tube resting horizontally across the tops of two supporting columns, whose mechanism required several years to perfect. The low-frequency sound produced by pulling on a central rope that puts four hammers in motion can only be heard by the human ear for a few minutes, but the vibrations continue for up to 20 minutes and can be felt throughout the entire body.