Jan Shrem, founder of Clos Pegase and The UC Davis Manetti Shrem Museum of Art passes at 94
Jan Shrem has contributed more to making Napa one of the world’s great centers of both wine and architecture than just about any other single person. Like the Judgment of Paris, Jan, pronounced Yawn, successfully put Napa on the architectural world map by creating the classic, yet edgy contemporary winery for its time, Clos Pegase.
This was forged out of an international design competition, where a then little known up- coming architect, Michael Graves, created a unique yet enduring building statement, something unheard of at the time. This was only one of Jan’s many architectural contributions. In 2016 Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem opened the UC Davis Art Museum, an outstanding architectural achievement by itself. The Shrams had amassed an outstanding art collection in need of a home and UC Davis gave them the space. This campus has become a destination for modern art aficionados and he generously contributed $10 million to its construction.
Jan was born in 1930 in Columbia, raised in Jerusalem and settled in New York City with an aunt. When he moved to Japan after World War ll, he started selling door-to door English language books and encyclopedias, much in need among the Japanese after American military and businesses flooded the country. He eventually had 50 offices with 2000 sales representatives. He sold the business, moved to Paris with his first wife Misuko and studied wine making and began collecting art, the two passions that stayed with him for the rest of his life.
When he moved to California, he wanted to build from scratch a winery with a showcase for his art. It was suggested he developed a design competition to hire the best architect available. Michael Graves won the competition and designed the “Temple of Wine” in what is now called the Postmodern Style that became the architectural language of the ‘80s and ‘90s.
Clos Pegase became among the first and one of the most famous examples of this form of architecture. Clos Pegase produced annually over 25,000 cases of Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. With its underground “cave theater” for acoustics concerts and the art gallery, tourists from all over the world swarmed to the winery. Clos Pegase became the architectural Standard of Excellence for the Valley wineries.
After the passing of his first wife, Jan married Maria Manetti Farrow. Soon thereafter, Clos Pegase was sold to Vintage Wine Estates and Jan's art collection grew to became the basis for his philanthropic future. His art collection was world renowned as one of the best for the Surrealist artists. He and Maria were among the founders and benefactors of Festival Napa Valley, the Summer music festival that after 20 years has been a world-class magnet for music lovers.
Margrit and Robert Mondavi envisioned an Art Museum near their Performing Arts Theater at Davis and invited the Shrems to consider it. It was said that Jan was invited to make a lecture at UC Davis at the age of 80 about the history of wine through 4000 years of art. That was the embryo of his desire to create the museum and in 2016 it became a reality. The Shrem Museum of Art at UC Davis is considered among the best museum complexes in the world. His other philanthropic contributions included UCSF California, Pacific Medical Center and the San Francisco Opera and Symphony.
The date of his death nor cause have not been published, but his works and influence on Napa Valley cannot be underestimated. Visiting The Davis Shrem Art Museum is well worth it.
Chris d Craiker ALA/NCARB wrote about Clos Pegase in Architex Angle 2023.
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