Contemporary art in Burgundy is lived day by day

Currently the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Beaune is hosting the 1st French retrospective of the  British sculptor Paul DAY : « Une vie en relief, de Londres à Beaune » (until’21 September 2025). Around a hundred of his œuvres (or maquettes of the originals), some of which cèl&e brent Burgundy and its harvest scènes. Paul Day is renowned for his monumental sculptures in numerous public and private spaces around the world. One of the most famous is “The Meeting Place” exhibited in London’s Saint Pancras Station. You can admire a statue of the same theme, a couple kissing, in front of the entrance to the Mary of Burgundy Gate where the Museum of Fine Arts is located. A specialist in the art of trompe-l’œil and the play on perspective, Paul Day works mainly in terracotta and bronze. His œuvres, often in bas-relief, are brought to life by strikingly realistic figures. Watching them plunges you intonarrative and motional scenes. The show recalls the théâtres illusionists.

The 4th edition of Art in Situ – Route des Grands Crus offers a tour of 37 contemporary œuvres. They are spread across 10 locations in wine-growing Burgundy. Chablis, some domains in Beaune, the Caves Patriarche, the Hôtel le Cep are transformed into open-air gallery. 19 artists exhibit abstract paintings, sculptures,art installations. This cultural interface between contemporary art and the terroir offers a unique immersive experience and an inventive experiment.

At Nolay, joli village des Hautes Côtes de Beaune takes place every 2 years the Biennale Interactive de Sculpture Contemporaine. A not-to-be-missed event for contemporary art in Burgundy, the BISCB is an exhibition of œuvres that invites à sharing with the public a thought, an expression, émotions and expériences. Somewhere between entertainment and observation of the world and living things, an artist’s interpretation is always a moment of questioning, emotion and visual pleasure.