A Brief Introduction  |  Quiz  |  Painting Galleries  |  Selection  |  Great Masters

Suggestion: Schubert, Piano Trio N° 2, op. 11, D. 929, Andante con moto (1827)

  Wine and the Arts

  Wine and Painting

  Picture of the Month

The Virtual Wine Museum is in accordance with the definition of a museum by ICOM (International Council of Museums): 'A museum is a non-profit, permanent institution in the service of society and its development, open to the public, which acquires, conserves, researches, communicates and exhibits the tangible and intangible heritage of humanity and its environment for the purposes of education, study and enjoyment.'

            The Virtual Wine Museum is now an internationally-recognised reference site: it has just been selected by the jury of the                          International Wine and Vine Organisation (OIV), who have awarded it a Special Mention in their Fine Arts category.  

​

The Virtual Wine Museum is a non-profit venture. Open to all, it aims to be an international point of reference, both a historical and educational goldmine for enthusiasts and students, and an accessible, easy-to-understand site for the general public. Georges-Henri Riviere, founder and creator of the Beaune Wine Museum and the National Museum of Folk Art and Tradition, liked to say that 'the importance of a museum cannot be measured in terms of visitor numbers, but by the number of visitors who have learned something there.' Not to mention the number of visitors who come back. For virtual museums, this is truer than ever. We hope that you enjoy your visit.

Picture of the Month: An Ally to seduction

Women drinking wine are an essential incarnation of vice in the work of Vermeer. The artist elegantly portrays the private lives of silent, timeless women in a movingly naturalistic way. He would dedicate seven of his thirty-five known works to the negative effects of wine. In this image, wine is clearly represented as an instrument of seduction. The man hopes that the wine will act as an aphrodisiac, lifting the young woman's inhibitions and laying the groundwork for more intimate pleasures. The woman has just drained the glass of wine and the man seems impatient to pour her more, almost as if he is trying to get her drunk. A musical instrument, the cittern, lies on the chair with musical notebooks. But the figure of Temperance is depicted in the stained glass window, adding to the tension in the scene. The symbol, directly in the seated woman's eye line, is intended as a warning.

​

Paintings of the Month  >>

Persian Miniatures, Abstract Art, and Street Art

New exhibition with The Rubaiyat, or quatrains of Omar Khayyam (11th century) offering a counterpoint to classical Persian miniatures on display. Wine appears frequently, presented as a remedy both for the melancholy caused by the passage of time and the brevity of life. “Drink and be merry” is the refrain of these epicurean verses.

Contemporary art is the order of the day for the current exhibitions. Bertrand Sallard, an abstract painter living in Burgundy, presents variations on the “vine to wine” process, following the rhythm of the seasons.

With street art and graffiti, Bacchus and wine have taken over walls in cities worldwide. While some see graffiti as undesirable, others consider its most elaborate forms a type of art that deserves attention.

​

Exhibitions  >>

BLOG: Wine, Art and Museum News (Fr.)

Scientists agree that vinification was first practised in the Caucuses, since the 19th century considered the homeland of vine cultivation. Georgia has confirmed its position as the birthplace of viticulture with some new archaeological discoveries. Winegrowing originated over 8,000 years ago, almost ten decades earlier than previously thought. Before the announcement, the earliest evidence of viticulture – dating from around 5,000 BC – had been found in Iran’s Zagros mountains. Residue found in eight large ceramic containers had been identified as wine by researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, the Georgian National Museum and the University of Toronto. This discovery is the earliest evidence of winemaking by humans to date.

​

Blog (Fr.) : Wine, Art, and Museum News | Works to know  >>

What's new at The Virtual Wine Museum?

Ossip Zadkine often made reference to the cafes, particularly those of Montparnasse, that he frequented with Modigliani until the painter's death. Doubtless these included the smoky universe of La Rotonde, a regular haunt and a place where painters, musicians and poets were known to mix.

Zadkine always drew attention to his characters by making them much larger than the surrounding urban landscape. In The Guitar Player , if the pavement café in the foreground is animated by the guitarist and sitting customers, the road behind is deserted, gray and lined with identical-looking houses. The undetailed, pastel-hued figures are brought to the fore by the brighter colors of the setting.

Gallery At cafe  >>

TWITTER 2018