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ART AND ARCHITECTURE AT LES DAVIDS

ARCHITECTURE INTEGRATED INTO THE LANDSCAPE

“The estate of Les Davids fertilises a valley below a road that connects Viens to Banon along a hillside. This beautiful landscape combines rocky outcrops and oak groves, and in its cultivated areas, rows of grapevines and the structured framework of fruit trees.”

Marc Barani

MEMBER OF THE ACADEMY OF ARCHITECTURE

Marc Barani Bruno Levy
Marc Barani (ph. B. Levy)
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THE APPROACH TO THE WINERY
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THE COVERED TERRACE

“From the entrance to the estate, the slightly inclined walls further increase the effect of weight that makes this mono-material structure dominating the fields of vines enigmatic, like a mastaba. A glass wall reveals a monumental line of concrete vats. The winery reveals its secret, visually connects the vines and the wine, gives the impression of swallowing the slope and the landscape. An entrance dug to the wine cellar and a base covered by an overhang overlooking the panoramic view showcase the landscape.”


THE FRESCO OF MOSAICS

SIESTA

Yves Zurstrassen, a painter whose work has recently been shown at the Musée Picasso in Antibes and the Luhring Augustine gallery in New York, is the husband of Sophie Le Clercq, the owner of Les Davids. It was natural, with the architect Marc Barani, that when the winery was designed they envisaged incorporating one of his works in the form of a fresco at the entrance. Yves Zurstrassen proposed displaying his painting “19.12.25 – Siesta” there, recreated in ceramic tiles.

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Yves Zurstrassen, Siesta, 3 x 11 m, 2020

The promenade

Dscf6979 Promenade

A walking trail forming a 2.5 km loop winds through the hills of the estate and reveals the diversity of the landscapes on the border of the Vaucluse and the Alpes de Haute-Provence.

With the initial intention of accommodating works of art in harmony with nature, Les Davids wanted to entrust the Belgian landscaper Bas Smets, co-creator of among other things the Luma gardens in Arles and the surroundings of Notre Dame in Paris, with the layout of a small valley. The thousand facets of the land bordering the estate suggested incorporating a promenade there. While the original intention was above all to “reveal what exists”, works immersed in nature progressively complemented the trail, as well as the outdoor theatre inaugurated in 2024, where events connected with Les Estivales, the cultural festival at Les Davids, now take place.

THE PROMENADE IS FREELY ACCESSIBLE IN THE DAYTIME YEAR-ROUND. IT IS MARKED BY CLEAR PATHS, PUNCTUATED BY HANDRAILS TO FOLLOW. A GUIDE MAP IS AVAILABLE IN THE WINE CELLAR (SEE OPENING HOURS) OR BELOW. THE TIME NEEDED FOR THIS WALK IS BETWEEN 1 HR AND 2 HR, DEPENDING ON WALKING SPEED.

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The cosmos field
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Handrails
Chouettesabatte
Lionel Sabatté, Owl, 2023
David Nash Moss
David Nash, Moss, 2024
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Evening at the amphitheater, 2025

Summer Festival at Les Davids

LES ESTIVALES DU HAUT-CALAVON

Between Ventoux and Lure, a stream called Calavon has its source at Banon, flows along the borders of the estate, then, from gorge to ravine, reaches the Luberon valley.

Every summer, Les Davids plans philosophical, literary and musical events in this natural, preserved site. Les Estivales of Haut-Calavon are above all times for sharing with authors and artists who help us think about and experience our times; the philosopher Vinciane Despret is the patron.

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Festival-goers, 2023
PhilipSands BéatriceDelvaux Amphithéâtre2025
Philippe Sands, 2025

Since 2022

Featured at the festival


philosophy-Essays-Stories

Vinciane Despret, Bart van Loo, David Van Reybrouck, Françoise Nyssen, Tom Lanoye, Stéphane Durand, François Sarano, Laure Adler, Charlotte Cosson, Clara Breteau, David Grémillet, Colette Braeckman, Juliette Rousseau, Céline Curiol, Béatrice Kremer Cochet, Gilbert Cochet, Olivier Bleys, Chantal Colleu-Dumond, Hélène Roche, Sophie Barreau, Claire Doutrelant, Géraldine Schwarz


litterature-films-Architecture

Dominique Gros, Caroline Lamarche, Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer, Sorj Chalandon, Stefan Hertmans, André Markowicz, Andreï Kourkov, Marie Christine Barrault, Maylis de Kerangal, Bento, Bas Smets, Eliane Le Roux, Christine Mawet, Philippe Sands, Agnès Desarthe, Pascal Quignard, Samar Yazbeck, Hyam Yared, Geneviève Damas, Sylvère Petit, Tanguy Stoecklé, Lucrecia Zappi, Marco Martella, Jeroen Olyslaegers, Emma Doude van Troostwijk, Lize Spit


music-readings-Dance

Christian Girardin, Raphaël Imbert, Bruno Philippe, Julien Libeer, Joëlle Léandre, Lauren Newton, Grégory Montel, Théotime Langlois de Swarte, Tanguy de Williencourt, Marc Mauillon, Anne Le Bozec, Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, Lorenzo Gatto, Pascal Amoyel, Evan Parker, Johanna Silberstein, Philippe Canales, Pierre-François Garel, Lionel Suarez, Stéphane Freiss, Aline Piboule, Pascale Berthelot, Hélène Theunissen, Naragonia, Le Bal Warning, Vanessa Wagner, Édouard Ferlet, Peter Hertmans, Emmanuel Coppey, Elena Soussi, Valeriya Berestneva, Donatienne Ranc, Benjamin Flao, Clothilde Durieux, Clara Hédouin, Marianne Denicourt, Jean-Guiyen Queyras, Alex Blondeau, Zita Hanrot