Volcano: a modern art gallery near Burgundy’s greatest vineyards

If you are travelling through Burgundy in search of the region’s finest vintages, treat yourself to a quick cultural detour at the Volcano Gallery.

Volcano, la galerie d'art contemporain sur la route des grands crus de Bourgogne

This chateau is not actually for sale. It’s owned by the Beaune-based wine retailer Bouchard & Fils. © R. Krebel

Sommaire

A new cultural space dedicated to modern art has opened amidst wine-making heavy-hitters like Gevrey-Chambertin and Vosne-Romanée. But Volcano is much more than just an art gallery. It is also a café and gathering place, and a place for visitors to enjoy the thermal springs that run through this particularly rich region. This ambitious project was first dreamed up in the offices of an architectural firm called AZCA (Atelier Zéro Carbone Architectes) based in Nuits-Saint-Georges.

A fitted-out space for a total immersion

On 10 September 2020, this beautiful showcase will welcome work from famous artists as well as emerging talents by blending diversity, quality, and a unique identity in which everything is built from the ground up. To capture spectators’ full attention, its opening event will feature Jean-Michel Basquiat. Thirty-five of his drawings that have never been exhibited before will be on display during the premiere event in this discreet city along the Côte-d’Or renowned for its wines.

<em>Modifier Article</em> Volcano, la galerie d'art contemporain sur la route des grands crus de la Bourgogne

Aficionados will recognise this canvas « Untitled BRXT » by Jean-Michel Basquiat. © André Morin

« Untitled 4 BRXT » is by the same artist and is priced at an eye-popping sum. © André Morin

The prestige of exceptional vineyards

Located between the Hospices de Beaune and the Gothic and Art Deco architecture of the Dijon city centre, the gallery is surrounded by iconic sites whose names make up a beautiful melody to the ear of any wine lovers: Chambolle-Musigny, Marsannay, Aloxe-Corton, Rully, Chassagne- Montrachet, Puligny-Montrachet, Meursault, Auxey-Duresses, Volnay, and Pommard. With such illustrious vineyards just a stone’s throw away, you can indulge in a bit wine tourism in between exhibitions.