Indagare Favorites: Art Trips

Art is one of the most extraordinary mediums of human expression and across the world, incredible collections and art fairs showcase pioneering works that create dialogues about society, nature and design. Here we have rounded up our favorite destinations for art-focused trips, from the plains of Marfa to an unconventional museum in Tasmania. Contact Indagare for assistance planning an art trip. Our travel specialists can match you with the right destination based on your interests.

Day Trips: Hudson Valley, Connecticut

Storm King Art Center, Courtesy Melodie Mesiano

Within a few hours’ drive of New York City are world-class art museums and sculpture parks that are worthy of a day trip.

• Storm King Art Center, Hudson Valley: This incredible open-air museum and sculpture park was conceived in 1960 as a place to exhibit works by Hudson Valley School artists. It has since expanded into an enormous sculpture garden, with important pieces by Alexander Calder, Isamu Noguchi, Magdalena Abakanowicz, Henry Moore and Richard Serra.
• Dia Beacon, Hudson Valley: Opened in 2003 in a former Nabisco factory, Dia Beacon is a must-visit for art lovers. The collection includes pieces by Andy Warhol, Louise Bourgeois, John Chamberlain and Gerhard Richter as well as four massive Richard Serra installations.

• Glass House, Connecticut: A National Historic Trust site, the Glass House sits on 49 acres of land in New Canaan, Connecticut and was the self-designed home of architect Philip Johnson. Multiple buildings on the grounds meld with the rambling countryside and showcase a permanent collection of 20^th-century paintings and sculptures as well as temporary exhibitions. The current installation is Robert Indiana's ONE Through ZERO, 6-foot high steel sculptures of numbers one through nine, on view until November 2017.

American West: Texas, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah

The otherworldly landscapes of the American West lend themselves to large-scale installations that reflect the symbiotic relationship between nature and art.

• Marfa, Texas: A remote haven for contemporary art lovers, the ghost town–meets–hipster enclave of Marfa is highly unique. Donald Judd’s Chinati Foundation combines innovative modern art, architecture and large-scale sculpture in a sprawling indoor-outdoor space.
• Tippet Rise, Montana: Set on a 12,000-acre ranch in southern Montana, Tippet Rise is a rural arts wonderland, complete with an extraordinary sculpture park and live music venue that hosts top classical musicians. With a backdrop of snowcapped mountains and rolling prairies, Tippet Rise boasts the large-scale works of such masters as Alexander Calder and Mark di Suvero as well as up-and-coming talents.
• The Lightening Field, New Mexico: Built in 1977 in the vast desert of New Mexico, Lightening Field was a visionary collaboration between the Dia Art Foundation and artist Walter de Maria to harness nature as art. Composed of 400 steel poles in a grid-like formation, the installation functions as a massive lightening rod that shows the lightning strike phenomenon in a frontier landscape.

• Seven Magic Mountains, Nevada: Just 10 miles south of glittering Las Vegas in the tumbleweed-ridden desert lies the Seven Magic Mountains, seven stacks of neon-colored boulders. The design of Swiss artist Ugo Rondinone, the artwork reflects the synthesis of the natural and the artificial in both location and design: it is situated between the commercialized Las Vegas and the broad expanse of desert, and the natural stones are completely painted with brashly neon colors. The installation will be on display until May 2018.
• Spiral Jetty, Utah: Protruding 1,500 feet into Utah’s Great Salt Lake, Robert Smithson’s tendril-shaped earthwork is comprised of mud, salt crystals and basalt rocks. Spiral Jetty portrays layers of art and nature and how they interact with one another. Depending on the water levels of the lake, the composition can be entirely submerged.

Far Flung: Brazil, Tasmania, Japan, New Zealand

Courtesy Inhotim

In remote corners of the world, visionary art collectors display curated collections that complement their magnificent natural surroundings.

• Inhotim, Brazil: Contemporary art lovers should consider a trip to the fabulous open-air museum and botanical garden of Inhotim. This fantasy land of art and beauty contains interactive art installations by such world-renowned artists as Doug Aitkens, Anish Kapoor and Matthew Barney as well as Brazil’s top artists like Tunga and Helio Oiticica. Set on 5,000 acres, the complex was created by mining billionaire Bernardo Paz as an ode to his belief that beauty (natural and man-made) can unify humanity. Over many years, he has transformed this vast park into the world’s largest outdoor museum, providing space for works that would likely never be shown permanently in museums.
• The Museum of Old and New Art, Tasmania: Described by owner and Australian billionaire David Walsh as a “subversive adult Disneyland,” The Museum of Old and New Art showcases some of the world’s most experimental art. For lovers of the avant-garde, a visit to MONA, on the lesser-touristed island of Tasmania, has become a sort of pilgrimage to observe works that range from playfully whimsical to shockingly radical.

Naoshima, Courtesy Indagare's Janine Yu

• Naoshima Island, Japan: One of the richest men in Japan, Soichiro Fukutake, commissioned Pritzker Prize–winning architect Tadao Ando to help him mastermind an art destination that would blend natural beauty with art and architecture. Over the past 25 years, the project has grown to encompass multiple museums, parks and hotels and features works by Claude Monet, David Hockney, James Turrell and Yayoi Kusama.
• Gibbs Farm, New Zealand: Tucked in the undulating green hills of New Zealand's North Island on Kaipara Harbour, Gibbs Farm is a 1,000-acre sculpture park with large-scale installations that were commissioned to fit the dramatic landscape. The works of such lauded sculptors as Maya Lin, Richard Serra and Anish Kapoor decorate the vast park, which is open by appointment only.

Contact Indagare to arrange a trip to one of these destinations with insider access and personalized tours.

Related: Know Before You Go: Naoshima

Art Fairs: Switzerland, Miami, Venice, Cuba, Maastricht, London

The world’s leading art fairs draw pioneers of the industry to exhibitions of the most cutting-edge contemporary art.

• Art Basel, Switzerland: Held annually in June, Art Basel is the world’s premiere modern and contemporary art fair, which displays innovative works by established artists and up-and-coming talents. June 15-18, 2017.
• Art Basel Miami, Florida: Art Basel expanded to Miami in 2002 and has become a celebratory showcase that brings top contemporary art exhibits to one of America’s most exciting cities each December. December 4-10, 2017
• Venice Biennale, Italy: Juxtaposing the medieval architecture and centuries-old canals of Venice with the most cutting-edge in art and design, the Venice Biennale presents the forefront of the art scene bi-annually. May to November, 2017

• Havana Biennial, Cuba: Originally founded in 1984 to showcase art from Latin America and the Caribbean, the Havana Biennial serves to represent diverse contemporary artists and often highlights works that comment on social issues. November 2018
• TEFAF, Maastricht: Maastricht annually hosts the leading art fair for museum-quality fine art and antiques from around the world. From ancient Greek and Roman figurines to Picasso lithographs, the fair spans centuries, styles and mediums. March 9-18, 2018
• Frieze Art Fair, London: Set in London’s Regent Park, the Frieze Art Fair hosts leading galleries of contemporary and modern art, and this year's fair will feature a large-scale installation sculpture park. October 5-8, 2017

Bespoke Indagare Experiences

Indagare can arrange specialized itineraries for art enthusiasts that include exclusive museum tours and visits to artist studios. We can arrange access to galleries in major art cities such as Paris and New York, but also in cities with rich artisanal histories like Havana and José Ignacio. Expert guides, art historians and curators who are keyed in to the local art scene will steer you to exhibitions and private studios to meet with the artists themselves. For those who want to hone their artistic skills, whether it be painting, sculpture, ceramics or glass-blowing, Indagare can match you with talented instructors who offer personalized lessons.

Contact Indagare to learn more about private museum and gallery visits and art class offerings in a variety of destinations.