A list of our places where the art is best enjoyed in splendid weather conditions

Fondation Maeght, Saint-Paul de vence, France

Designed by Joseph Lluís Sert with art dealers and founders Aimé and Marguerite Maeght and some of the biggest names in 20th-century European art such as Georges Braque, Alexander Calder, Marc Chagall and Fernand Léger, La Fondation Maeght opened its doors to the public in July 1964.

Located near Saint-Paul de Vence and not far from Henri Matisse’s Rosary Chapel, the unique architectural complex integrates the surrounding nature into its construction, inviting visitors to discover some of the world’s most famous and frequently monumental in-situ works integrated into the gardens and building across a total of 850 square metres. Among these works is a Joan Miró labyrinth, a sculpture garden, Saint-Bernard chapel and an Alberto Giacometti figure studded courtyard. This summer marks not only the 60th anniversary of the Fondation but also the completion of its extension.

Casa Gilardi, Mexico City, Mexico

Designed by architect Luis Barragán in the late 1970s, Casa Gilarda is a striking residential masterpiece in Mexico City’s Tacubaya neighbourhood. Reflecting the influence of Mexican culture as well as Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo’s unique visual style is a patio surrounding an enormous Jacaranda tree, where a yellow light passes through small vertical openings. A corridor leading to a minimalist space with a water mirror next to the dining room is adjacent to a red wall, delivering a striking visual contrast to the colours of the sky. Though not a museum or sculpture park, the small pink house, a work of art in and of itself, made the list not only as it stands as a representation of Barragán’s iconic style - it also provides the visitor, through its characteristically bold colours, geometric forms and a ingenious harmony between space, light, and nature, with a sculpture park experience.

Museum Insel Hombroich, Neuss, Germany

Conceived by Karl-Heinrich Müller in collaboration with Gotthard Graubner and Erwin Heerich as well as landscape planner Bernhard Korte, the Museum Insel Hombroich presents not only the art collection of the founder but also Graubner’s later studio space as well as ten walk-in-sculptures and a number of exhibition spaces dispersed across the premises. Initially opened in 1987, Museum Insel Hombroich comprises a 21-hectare conservation-grade landscape, foregoing any artificial lighting, labels or other didactic material in order to echo Paul Cézanne’s idea of art existing in parallel and harmoniously with nature. To allow for this exceptional sensory experience to take place, the park and exhibition spaces were created on the grounds of an abandoned early nineteenth-century park and the adjacent farmland, where prehistoric plant stock was integrated alongside other more exotic plant species, landscaped into a wetland scenery and interspersed with the wild meadows visitors can enjoy today.

Inhotim, Brumadinho, Brazil

Around 60 kilometres from Belo Horizonte, outside the town of Brumadinho in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, lies Inhotim, a lush botanical paradise founded by mining-magnate Bernardo Paz, showcasing his art collection. Sitting on the western edge of Serra do Rola-Moça, a rugged highland with blood red soil and abundant natural springs, Inhotim is filled to the brim with eye-popping colours and dotted with lakes, groves and inclines, evoking both an artificial and at the same time bizarrely primordial impression. The gardens are home to just over 4,300 rare botanic species, representing over 28% of all botanical families known to humankind.

The collection is comprised of many international artists but also boasts a sizeable portion of local Brazilian artists, with works either displayed throughout the 23 pavilions located within the landscape (resembling a Henri Rousseau painting) or within the permanent collection gallery.

Skulpturenpark Waldfrieden, Wuppertal, Germany

Along the winding paths and the surrounding woodland of the historical estate of a German industrialist, sculptor Tony Cragg has transformed the hilly landscape on the outskirts of Wuppertal into a unique and serene sculpture park. Surrounded by chestnut, linden, maple, oak, beech, sequoia, ginkgo, cherry, lilac, wisteria and rhododendron and a great variety more, the foundation not only presents an impressive collection of Cragg’s work but also features works by other artist’s such as Thomas Vinrich, Hede Bühl and Per Kirkeby, Markus Lüpertz, Jaume Plensa, Richard Deacon, Eva Hild, Erwin Wurm and Henry Moore. To celebrate Anthony Caro’s 100th birthday, Skulpturenpark Waldfrieden presents 11 large-scale sculptures – curated by Tony Cragg – from Caro’s oeuvre, on view through July 14th 2024.

Chateau La Coste, aix-en-provence, France

Brought to life by Irish businessman Paddy McKillen, Château La Coste is not just a working vineyard but also a sculpture park and gallery, home to a range of ambitious and imposing works by some of the world’s greatest names in art and architecture. Located in the countryside near Aix-en-Provence, a series of Roman pathways crisscross the terrain between vineyards, chestnut forests, and olive-tree fields encircling the original 17th-century rose-stone bastide manor house and a collection of traditional barns finished with Provençal tiled roofs, interspersed with site-specific art installations and exhibition spaces. The main building is an asymmetrical assemblage by Tadao Ando, its sharp edges softened by the pools that surround it: a mighty Louise Bourgeois spider against the undulating hills in the background, an Alexander Calder mobile in another and a shimmering metal spike by Hiroshi Sugimoto rising from the water in a third.

Fondation & Villa Carmignac, Ile de Poquerolles, France

Originally established by Edouard Carmignac in 2000, the collection of the foundation is displayed across various office locations throughout Europe, with the majority of Carmignac’s personal collection showcased in the Ile de Poquerolles space within a national park, offering a wild and unspoiled setting. Open from April to November, the island site is a true hidden gem with its 15 hectares of land and exhibition spaces, bathed in natural light. The Garden designed by Louis Benech hosts 15 sculptures, perfectly blending nature and art. The collection is comprised of over 250 works from the 20th and 21st century, with a focus on Pop Art and German Expressionism, featuring works by artist such as Zhang Huan, Richard Prince, Felic Curto, Urs Fischer, Yoshimoto Nara and Sterling Ruby.

Fondation Beyeler, Riehen, Switzerland

Immersed into the surrounding greenery, the Fondation Beyeler lies in an idyllic setting within a park full of centuries-old trees and lily ponds, looking out across fields of corn and grazing cows towards vineyards rising on the foothills of the Black Forest. Commissioned by art dealers Ernst Beyeler and Hilda Kunz to house their private collection of around 200 classical modernist masterpieces, Renzo Piano designed the building, which features a glazed façade providing magnificent views over the Tüllinger Hills. The Fondation achieves a uniquely harmonious fusion of nature, art and architecture and – aside from its serene natural surroundings – allows visitors to experience much of the art in natural lighting.

Hauser & Wirth, Menorca, Spain

Early Christian ruins come face to face with contemporary art at Hauser & Wirth’s gallery space in the remains of a 6th century basilica on Isla del Rey. The gardens and landscape design incorporate native plants, such as purple agapanthus amongst other perennials and grasses, preserving a collection of existing olive trees at the rear of the site. A strict geometry sees plant beds organised in regular blocks around squared paved slabs that lead visitors around the centre, inviting them to walk between works by Louise Bourgeois, Franz West, Joan Miró and many more. The current Eduardo Chillida and Roni Horn exhibitions showcased at the Menorca location are on view through October 2024.

Montresso Art Foundation, Marrakech, Morocco

The Montresso Art Foundation houses both exhibition spaces as well as studio and living spaces for its artist residency programme. Tucked away into the Moroccan landscape outside of Marrakech, this hybrid project, a short drive away from the city and on the road to Fez, is populated not just by artist but also peacocks that roam the palm tree lined gardens and olive tree plantations, interspersed with large-scale sculptures.

Dedicated to nurturing artistic creation and fostering the diverse domains of contemporary artistic research, visitors are invited to experience the singularity of the place through exploring both the exhibition areas but also the process of artistic creation itself.

Summer Art Destinations