As the smell of spring blossoms floats in the air, Larry’s List, the world’s leading art collector database, adventures outdoor and introduces five most intoxicating and inspiring sculpture gardens around the globe.
Most sculpture parks are initiated by private art collectors with their own collections. These parks present innovative and completely different models of showcasing and preserving collections of architectural and sculptural works. Additionally, these public gardens not only exhibit the distinct quality of the art form, but also bring the arts and humanity closer together with nature, as an entirely different visual experience, compared to that of a white cube environment.
· Gibbs Farm, Kaipara District, New Zealand
· Inhotim, Brumadinho, Brazil
· Jupiter Artland, Edinburgh, UK
· Guilin Yuzi Paradise, Guangxi, China
· The Fields Sculpture Park and Architecture Omi, NY, USA
Gibbs Farm, Kaipara District, New Zealand
Contributing collector: Alan Gibbs and Jenny Gibbs
Size: 1,000 acres
http://www.gibbsfarm.org.nz
After three decades of art collecting, Alan Gibbs, the New Zealand entrepreneur initiated the park in 1991. Unlike some other sculptural gardens, one can tell that from the name of Gibbs Farm that it is an unusual space for the artworks from such an enormous space. With a taste of abstract and minimalist art, the park includes a series of site specific pieces by prominent contemporary artists such as Andy Goldsworthy, Anish Kapoor, Sol Lewitt, and Richard Thompson which are mostly commissioned by Gibbs. Some of the art works are even large enough to be recognized in high resolution satellite images.
Inhotim, Brumadinho, Brazil
Contributing collector: Bernardo Paz
Size: 5,000 acres
http://www.inhotim.org.br
Located in forests and botanical gardens, the Inhotim contains contemporary collections both indoor and outdoor, and was opened to the public in 2006, attracted nearly 250,000 visitors from all over the world in 2011. The collection includes more than 500 works by noted Brazilian and international artists, such as Hélio Oiticica, Thomas Hirschhorn, Yayoi Kusama, Matthew Barney and Doug Aitken. Paz is ambitious also planning to expand Inhotim with new hotels, an amphitheater, and even a complex of residence within the garden.
Jupiter Artland, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Contributing collector: Nicky and Robert Wilson
Size: 90 acres
http://www.jupiterartland.org
As a comparatively new sculpture park, which opened to the public in 2009, founded by Scottish couple Nicky and Robert Wilson, Jupiter Artland serves very much like a museum, in the way it targets family visitors. With a large collection of relatively young artists such as Marc Quinn and Peter Liversidge, it also holds a series of events including community and educational programs, with children writing workshops and special play group session for toddlers.
Yuzi Paradise, Guilin, Guangxi, China
Size: 1,320 acres
http://www.yuzile.com
A highlight among the enormous sculpture parks is Guilin Yuzi Paradise. It was founded by Taiwanese entrepreneur Tsao Rhy-Chang and opened to public in 2008. Considered as an one stop tourist attraction, it closely resembles as a theme park, focusing on contemporary sculpture and land art in various styles and languages by international eminent artists, in a Chinese landscape background.
The Fields Sculpture Park, New York, United States
Contributing collector: Francis Greenburger
Size: 500 acres
http://www.artomi.org
Founded in 1998 by Francis Greenburger as part of Omi International Art Center, The Fields Sculpture Park and Architecture Omi served also similar as part of a museum complex, and is expanding its importance by incorporating with multi-discipline art activities such as music, dance and literature.
