Domaine de Rocheville, in the heart of the Saumur Champigny appellation, is pleased to host the exhibition of French artist Marie-Françoise Pinguet on the theme of Mineral/Vegetal.
Come and discover her delicate representation of the textures that capture the beauty of the stones and plants around us.
Art makes a stopover in the Saumur Champigny vineyards
Rocheville: a wine estate that combines the pleasures of the senses
Just a few kilometres from Saumur, in the Loire Valley, Domaine de Rocheville has been producing Saumur wines for 20 years, using the two emblematic grape varieties of the Loire: Chenin and Cabernet Franc.
Since 2014, Domaine de Rocheville has also combined the production and sale of organic wines with the organisation of art exhibitions. Local or from further afield, contemporary artists are regularly invited to exhibit their creations in its vast tasting room.
From photography to drawing, abstract art to figurative works and hanging sculptures, the white walls of Rocheville are clothed in different styles, each time revealing them from a new angle and with a fresh appearance.
Red, white, rosé: a whole palette of colours
White wines are said to be straw yellow, green yellow, golden…
Depending on their age and grape variety, the red wines explore a whole range of colours, from violet to tile or ruby red.
Domaine de Rocheville also produces two rosés, a Pétillant Naturel (Petnat wine) and a salmon-coloured Saumur Rosé.
In her exhibition Mineral/Vegetal, Marie-Françoise Pinguet, the French artist currently on show, explores the variations of blue (to represent the mineral) and red (for the plant) in her abstract paintings. And the nuances are infinite!
Don’t delay in discovering both the estate’s cuvées and Marie-Françoise Pinguet’s paintings. An exhibition and wines to savour, with your eyes and taste buds wide open!
An exhibition of abstract paintings paying tribute to nature
Who is Marie-Françoise Pinguet ?
A French artist who makes the link between art and wine
Originally from Touraine, Marie-Françoise Pinguet comes from a family of winegrowers from the Vouvray PDO. As a result, she has long had a special bond with the vines, the land and, more broadly, the nature that surrounds her.
Although her professional life has been devoted to wine, this former student of the Bourges School of Fine Arts (Beaux-arts) has never stopped painting. Marie-Françoise Pinguet paints above all for pleasure and relaxation, but this activity has expanded since she retired.
Her connection with nature is a source of inspiration for her artistic work, and the artist now regularly exhibits her work.
The painter’s exhibition, organised in collaboration with the gallery Le Cactus Bleu, takes on its full meaning at Domaine de Rocheville, a producer of Saumur wines.
Technique and inspiration of Marie-Françoise Pinguet
She explores nature through the prism of abstract painting.
Using natural elements (leaves, rocks, bark, etc.), the painter lets her imagination and her feelings guide the creation of her works. Her graphic approach, which plays with shapes and materials, reflects a deep connection with the environment.
This artistic exploration translates into the use of various surfaces such as canvas, wood, cardboard and paper. She plays with the textures and reliefs offered by these materials to represent plant and mineral matter with finesse and precision.
Her varied techniques – mainly paint, ink and collage – enable her to capture the diversity of plant life.
Mineral/Vegetal : the story of an artistic collaboration
A double exhibition of ceramics and abstract paintings
The exhibition began as a friendly artistic collaboration between ceramist Danie Christides and painter Marie Françoise Pinguet.
Last autumn, the two friends set themselves the challenge of creating complementary works on the theme Mineral/Vegetal for the house gallery Le Cactus Bleu, artistic partner of the Domaine de Rocheville. In this way, they created a double exhibition ‘four hands’.
Their paintings and ceramics were displayed together in two rooms at Le Cactus Bleu, in Reugny: a red room with a plant theme and a blue room with a mineral theme.
Exhibiting abstract paintings in Parnay
Unfortunately, the exhibition room at Domaine de Rocheville is not suitable for ceramics. That’s why only Marie-Françoise Pinguet’s works have made their way to Parnay.
Around thirty works are displayed on the walls of the estate. Numerous small square formats (from 20×20 cm) sit alongside larger canvases (up to 60×80 cm).
By linking the two worlds that coexist in the vineyards and define the terroirs – the mineral world and the plant world – the exhibition reflects the influence of the French artist’s winemaking past. It’s only natural that it should find a home at Domaine de Rocheville!
Mineral/Vegetal exposition : where, when, how ?
Exhibition dates: From 7 May to 27 June 2024
Location : Domaine de Rocheville, Les Hauts de Valbrun, chemin de Béniquet, 49730 Parnay, Loire Valley, France (In the heart of Saumur Champigny appellation)
Opening times: Monday to Saturday, 10am to 6pm
Free admission
Opportunity to taste the estate’s appellation wines (AOC Saumur Champigny, Saumur Blanc, Saumur Rosé, Crémant de Loire, Pétillant Naturel Rosé)
Sale of paintings:
As well as admiring Marie-Françoise Pinguet’s abstract works, visitors have the opportunity to buy her paintings. Each piece is available for sale. Extend the ‘Mineral/Vegetal’ experience by taking an original work home with you!