We leave the stuffy museum halls: powerful installations and elegant classical sculptures surrounded by hills, ponds and trees – the perfect balance between nature and art. Catch a selection of cool sculpture parks from around the world.
Olympic Sculpture Park
Seattle, USA
The Olympic Park in Seattle is spread out on a hill with magnificent views of the bay and the Olympic Mountains. Along the path between evergreen and deciduous trees, you can go straight down to the water. The park was opened in 2007 under the wing of the Seattle Art Museum. In addition to the permanent collection of sculptures, temporary exhibitions of artists are also held here. Here, for example, Alexander Calder, Tony Smith and Richard Serra were noted. Pay attention to the Echo sculpture – this work by the Spanish artist Jaume Plensa settled on the park embankment in 2014. The sculpture in the form of a 14-meter head refers us to mythology: it is named after a Greek nymph and looks towards the “Olympus”.
Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Wakefield, United Kingdom
Opened in 1977, Yorkshire Park became the first park of its kind in the United Kingdom. It boasts an impressive permanent collection of works by British and foreign sculptors. Temporary exhibitions are also constantly being updated in the park: works by Alfredo Jaar, Ai Weiwei, Zak Ove and other famous artists have visited here. In total, about 80 sculptures are exhibited on its territory among fields and forests.
The park tries to be accessible and inclusive: admission is free, scooters are provided to visitors with additional needs, and each exhibition is accompanied by an educational program.
Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park
Grand Rapids, USA
Frederik Meijer Park is located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Here you will see works from different eras: from those created in the middle of the XIX century to the most modern. Scattered among the trees, ponds, waterfalls and fresh green meadows are works by Auguste Rodin, Henry Moore, Ai Weiwei, Louise Bourgeois and Barbara Hepworth. It is also worth taking a look at the Japanese Garden and the only greenhouse in the USA with insectivorous plants. In addition to the extensive permanent collection, the park hosts three temporary exhibitions a year.
Hakone Open-Air Museum
Hakone, Japan
Japan’s first outdoor museum is located a hundred kilometers southwest of Tokyo. In the park you will see the works of Joan Miro, Niki de Saint Phalle, Henry Moore and Barry Flanagan. In addition, about three hundred works by Pablo Picasso are exhibited in a separate pavilion.
The Hakone Museum promotes the idea of bringing nature and art together and promises that even those who do not have an art education will be able to “nourish the soul”. On the territory of the museum there are interactive children’s spaces, a brutal iron-glass observation tower and even foot baths with warm water, where visitors can relax and recharge after a long walk.
Minneapolis Sculpture Garden
Minneapolis, USA
The park opened in 2017 after a large-scale renovation, and now you can take a look at the works of the duo Klas Oldenburg and Kossi van Bruggen or Martin Periir. Also, after the reconstruction, a three–meter blue rooster, a work by German artist Katharina Fritsch, moved to the park from London’s Trafalgar Square. For an independent thoughtful walk in the park, you can download this guide not only with descriptions of artists’ works, but also with tasks for self-reflection.
Ekebergparken
Oslo, Norway
From Rodin and Renour to Dali and Hearst – Norwegian Ekebergparken has collected a cool collection of sculptures. In addition, here you can get acquainted with the work of local artists working with non-traditional techniques. A significant part of the exhibition consists of works created by women: for example, text installations by Jenny Holzer or provocative forms by Sarah Lucas.
Among the most interesting works is a video and sound installation by Tony Ousler in a small cave. It describes the history of human communication from ancient runes to mobile phones.
The park is open around the clock, and visitors can freely walk, explore forest trails, enjoy views of the fjord and even find themselves in the place from which Edvard Munch painted the background landscape of the famous “Scream”.
Storm King Art Center
Windsor, USA
A great option for a one-day outing from New York. More than a hundred sculptures and land art creations are scattered on the green expanses of Storm King. The park covers an area of almost 2 sq. km, such a scale allows each work to breathe. The location became more popular when the undulating hills of the park lit up in the series Master of None.
One of the iconic works in the park is Storm King Wall. This is an almost 700-meter-high stone wall that meanders between the trees, organically fitting into the natural environment.
In addition to walking, there are many different entertainments: from birdwatching to yoga.
Kröller-Müller Museum and Sculpture Garden
Otterlo, Netherlands
The Kröller-Müller Museum houses about 90 paintings and more than 180 drawings by Van Gogh – this is the world’s second largest collection of works by the artist. Adjacent to the museum is a sculpture park, which is considered one of the largest in Europe. In Kröller-Müller you can look into the pavilions of the famous Dutch architects Aldo van Eyck and Gerrit Rietveld, or you can just relax and have a picnic.
Both the park and the museum are located on the territory of the majestic Hoge Veluwe National Park. Forests, swamps, meadows, deer and foxes – rent a bike and go exploring.
Changchun World Sculpture Park
Changchun, China
The main attraction of the park is the sculpture “Friendship, Peace and Spring”. The 30-meter concrete statue, on which five Chinese sculptors worked, conveys the idea of global unity and rapprochement of the West and the east.
The park is divided into five sections, each of which represents a separate continent. About 450 sculptures from different countries and eras are collected here. A separate museum is dedicated to African art.
Lough Boora Sculpture Park
Loch Bura, Ireland
This Irish park cares about the conservation of biodiversity and the rational use of resources, and its sculpture collection reflects these values. The territory has a rich history: the first settlements mastered it 100 thousand years ago. Now there are five trails through the park that cover almost 50 kilometers of swamps, lakes and meadows.
24 works are created from natural or recycled industrial materials. Wooden and stone sculptures harmoniously interact with the natural environment: for example, the work “Celtic knot” is made of pine, which is almost 5 thousand years old and glacial stone.