Art Alfresco

Apparently, the Chairman of the Board of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art has a weekend home in Geyserville, a stone's throw from Chateau Souverain, where he and his wife collect unique, commissioned works of art, primarily large scale pieces of outdoor sculpture (article here). Loved the part about one of the Richard Serra pieces being so heavy that during its trip down from Seattle to Geyserville, three bridges had to be structurally reinforced to accommodate the load. The Oliver Ranch is a mirror of its neighbor to the east in Napa County, di Rosa Preserve (link here). The wine country must have quite a few of these private collections. During a college camping trip to Big Sur with friends, we stumbled across a private sculpture garden in someone's backyard and it was quite an experience. Large colorful contortions of steel sitting alongside the gurgling stream as the steep, fog-encased hills of Big Sur enclosed us in a natural outdoor gallery. It was the perfect "space" for viewing the art. Sadly, we couldn't enjoy the experience for too long. While wading across the stream in knee deep water, Kuangkai slipped on the riverbed. One of his sneakers came loose and began drifting downstream. Needless to say, a long, comic chase involving eight campers ensued.