Rosita Mariella Rosita is an art historian and researcher based in Madrid. She’s been working in the art market since 2015, for galleries and collections based in London, until she joined ARTSVP in 2021.
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Reporting live from Aspen Art Week! While we’ve been taking in the stunning Rocky Mountain views and incredible art events here in Colorado, our minds are already drifting to our next summer art pilgrimage. Craving a Mediterranean art tour or a peaceful trip through Japan's art islands?
July and August are unique months in the art world calendar. While major art fair circuits and institutions slow down, outdoor sculpture parks, island foundations, and coastal art enclaves wake up. If you're dreaming of combining sunny holidays with world-class contemporary art, architecture, and nature, here are the top places to add to your next travel itineraries.
1. Côte d’Azur & Provence (France)
The South of France has drawn artists for over a century, from Chagall and Matisse to Picasso and Cocteau. Today, the French Riviera and Provence remain top destinations for seaside galleries, spiritual masterworks, and outdoor sculpture walks.
- Musée Picasso (Antibes):
Perched directly over the Mediterranean inside the historic Château Grimaldi, this was the first museum in the world dedicated to Pablo Picasso. In the autumn of 1946, Picasso used the castle as his studio, creating iconic works like La Joie de Vivre. Today, those masterpieces hang alongside outdoor terrace sculptures by Joan Miró and Germaine Richier set against deep blue sea views.
- Château La Coste (Puy-Sainte-Réparade):
A vineyard near Aix-en-Provence where architecture and contemporary sculpture intersect. Walk among works by Louise Bourgeois, Ai Weiwei, Alexander Calder, and Tadao Ando set directly into the hillsides.
- Fondation Maeght (Saint-Paul de Vence):
Nestled in the pine forests above Nice, this iconic modern art foundation features a legendary Joan Miró labyrinth and an open-air Giacometti courtyard.
- Villa Carmignac (Porquerolles):
Located on an island off Hyères, visitors take off their shoes at the entrance to experience contemporary exhibitions barefoot in a subterranean space filled with natural light.
- La Chapelle du Rosaire
The Chapelle du Rosaire de Vence (Chapel of the Rosary), located in the south of France, is a small Catholic chapel completely designed and decorated by the famous artist Henri Matisse between 1947 and 1951. Matisse considered this building to be the true masterpiece and the final result of his entire working life.
2. Tuscany (Italy): between artists villages and the tarot garden
Tuscany offers far more than Renaissance masterpieces; its countryside and historic towns hide remarkable modern and contemporary art enclaves.
- Niki de Saint Phalle’s Tarot Garden (Il Giardino dei Tarocchi)
Tucked away in Garavicchio near Capalbio, this magical sculpture park features 22 monumental figures based on the Major Arcana of the tarot deck, covered in vibrant mosaics, mirrors, and ceramics.
- San Gimignano
Famous for its medieval towers, San Gimignano is also home to Galleria Continua, an international gallery powerhouse that hosts major exhibitions inside a former 1950s cinema.
- Pietrasanta
Known as the "City of Artists," this coastal Tuscan town has drawn sculptors since Michelangelo sourced marble here. Today, its streets and plazas serve as open-air galleries lined with foundries and marble workshops.
3. Hydra Island (Greece)
Vehicle-free and accessible by ferry from Athens, Hydra becomes a bustling creative enclave each summer. The DESTE Foundation Project Space, housed in a former slaughterhouse perched over the sea, features site-specific commissions by top international contemporary artists.
A staple on any art traveler’s bucket list, this car-free island is accessible by ferry from Athens and serves as a summer hotspot for the global art community. Don't miss Dakis Joannou’s DESTE Foundation Project Space, a former slaughterhouse hanging over the sea that hosts cutting-edge, solo exhibitions from the world's leading contemporary talent.
4. Menorca (Spain): Hauser & Wirth on Isla del Rey
Menorca’s tranquil beaches and UNESCO Biosphere Reserve status make it a peaceful, culture-rich alternative to neighbouring Ibiza and Mallorca on the Balearic art circuit.
The island’s undisputed cultural jewel is Hauser & Wirth Menorca, situated on Isla del Rey, a historic islet tucked inside Mahón harbour, accessible via ferry. Housed within a sensitively restored 18th-century naval hospital, this world-renowned gallery space pairs cutting-edge contemporary exhibitions with an open-air sculpture trail featuring masterworks by Eduardo Chillida, Joan Miró, and Franz West.
Visitors can stroll through immersive, native gardens designed by legendary landscape architect Piet Oudolf before enjoying seasonal farm-to-table dining overlooking the Mediterranean, perfectly blending world-class art, heritage preservation, and marine conservation.
5. Naoshima & Teshima (Japan)
Japan’s Seto Inland Sea is home to one of the world's most impressive site-specific contemporary art islands, managed by Benesse Art Site Naoshima. A visionary initiative has transformed former fishing communities into a bucket-list pilgrimage for lovers of site-specific contemporary art, world-class architecture, and serene island landscapes.
- Naoshima
Often dubbed Japan's "Art Island," is world-renowned for Pritzker Prize-winning architect Tadao Ando’s masterworks. Here, you will find the subterranean Chichu Art Museum, built mostly underground to preserve the natural coastal scenery while housing permanent, light-filled installations by Claude Monet, James Turrell, and Walter De Maria. Beyond the museum walls, the island functions as an open-air gallery, famously anchored by Yayoi Kusama’s iconic yellow and red spotted pumpkins perched right at the water's edge.
- Teshima
A short ferry ride away, Teshima offers a deeply meditative art experience centered around the breathtaking Teshima Art Museum. Designed as a joint collaboration between architect Ryue Nishizawa (of SANAA) and artist Rei Naito, the structure resembles a single, seamless concrete water droplet resting amidst terraced rice fields. Inside the open-air shell, underground springs continuously seep up through tiny floor openings, creating pools of water that bead, shift, and dance across the smooth concrete floor in response to the sea breeze, rendering no two visits ever the same.
ARTSVP Planning Tip: Many island-based and remote summer art venues, such as Villa Carmignac (Porquerolles), Teshima Art Museum, or Hauser & Wirth Menorca, require advance ferry or timed entry tickets during peak July and August months. Be sure to reserve your slots early before finalising your travel itinerary!
Written by
Rosita Mariella
Rosita is an art historian and researcher based in Madrid. She’s been working in the art market since 2015, for galleries and collections based in London, until she joined ARTSVP in 2021.