Culture
Donum Estate’s impressive sculpture garden
Yayoi Kusama’s “Pumpkin,” 2014
Image courtesy of: My Modern Met, photographed by: Robert Berg
Since 2011, The Donum Estate has been enthralling visitors with both wine and art. The winery is the vision of Allan and Mei Warburg who dreamed of blending wine, art, and land. The Warburgs began commissioning and acquiring sculptures for the 200-acre estate in 2015; currently, more than forty works from their private collection are situated across the sprawling property.
Ai Weiwei’s “Circle of Animals,” Zodiac Heads, 2011
The installation is Weiwei’s personal interpretation of the twelve Chinese animal heads that represent the zodiac signs. In addition, as a special commission, Weiwei designed a series of wine labels for the winery based on the Circle of Animals. Each vintage corresponds to the Chinese animal for that specific year… beginning with 2014’s Year of the Horse.
Image courtesy of: Donum Estate
The Estate is in Northern California’s Sonoma Valley and the sculpture park is set amongst the healthy vineyards. Speaking of his passion project, Allan Warburg told ArtNews, “The inspiration [for the Donum estate sculpture collection] really came from wanting to create this combination of wine, art, and landscape. It’s just such a different experience than being in a museum.” He continued, “I don’t consider art a business for me at all. I’m a collector. I’ve never sold anything.”
The couple’s collection has grown steadily over the past ten years. In fact, the Warburgs commission about one third of the pieces. The assemblage is quite personal and different from many other large private art collections… neither a curator nor an art advisor are on the payroll.
James Plensa’s “Sanna,” 2015.
Image courtesy of: Larry’s List, photographed by: Anthony Lauren
The name itself is fitting; in Latin donum means “the gift of the land.” As such the Warburgs want to ensure that the sculptures are placed within the landscape to effectively enrich and complement the visitors’ experiences. A lot of thought goes into curating the perfect piece for such a project which is why it is so impressive that the artists selected come from all over the world. For commissions especially, it often takes years for the artworks to fully evolve.
Initially, the couple meets with the artist at the Estate to discuss what might work. The Warburgs feel that it is critical that the artists some spend time seeing how the estate operates and speaking with those on the “wine making” part of the business. Walking the land allows the artist to gain an appreciation… and understanding… for the conditions and unique environment.
Keith Haring’s “King and Queen,” 1987. In the distance is Richard Hudson’s “Love Me,” a giant heart sculpture made from polished mirrored steel with a deep cavity in the center.
Image courtesy of: Artsy
At Donum Estate, where to place the art is an art in itself; courtesy of an interview with the founders for Larry’s List, Allan Warburg said, “The placement of art on Donum involves a lot of thinking and land preparation. Our projects are long-term; we are committed patrons and have an evolving vision for our estate.” Since the pieces will remain outside, once they are “home,” they live within nature without any intervention.
The “Who’s Who” list of artists represented is astonishing; and the Warburgs worked very hard to ensure that the collection features a global collection of artists. Warburg said, “I am a European who has lived over half my life in Asia, I am married to a Chinese woman who studied in Australia and now I also produce wine in California. I love and embrace diversity and different cultures, and hope the collection will express this.” It certainly shows… included is Olafur Eliasson from Iceland and Denmark, Ali Weiwei from China, Ugo Rondinone from Switzerland, and Richard Hudson from the United Kingdom.
“Vertical Panorama Pavilion” was built by Studio Other Spaces, Olafur Eliasson’s architecture firm.
Image courtesy of: Galerie Magazine, photographed by: Adam Potts
Last year, Olafur Eliasson and his German partner Sebastian Behmann were asked to build a wine-tasting pavilion. Called “Vertical Panorama Pavilion,” the design is an oculus with twelve intertwined stainless steel columns and 832 colored, recycled glass panels. The pair’s idea of a vertical landscape mimics their interpretation of the journey of wine from soil to glass (and everything in between). Also inspiring the design is the surrounding flora… the idea is that the juxtaposition between the panels’ colors and the twelve stark steel rods provides a sense of contemplation.
At the pavilion’s opening last August, Warburg said, “When you take incredible art, put it into a beautiful landscape, and add some great wine, we believe that the combined experience is much much larger than if you experienced each of them by themselves.” Eliasson spoke about his design more scientifically; he said, “The pavilion is in fact for all senses as well as discoveries. ‘Look into your glass when you are having a glass of Pinot Noir under the pavilion. You will see an incredible reflection of colors and shapes in moving inside.'”
