“North South East West” by Lynda Benglis at Storm King Art Center (Photo: Ron Cogswell / CC BY-SA 3.0)
From the classical villas of ancient Rome to the landscaped estates of the Renaissance, artists and patrons have long sought to bring sculpture into dialogue with nature. The modern sculpture garden as it’s known today emerged in the mid-20th century, when museums and collectors began creating expansive outdoor settings designed specifically for large-scale contemporary works. These spaces invite visitors to experience art not just as objects to view, but as part of the living landscape itself.
Art historian Jennie Hirsh traces the history and vision behind three of the world’s most inspiring contemporary sculpture gardens: Storm King Art Center in upstate New York, Glenstone Museum in Potomac, Maryland, and Château La Coste near Aix-en-Provence. She explores how artists and architects have shaped environments where art and nature exist in perfect dialogue.
At Storm King, encounter monumental works by Alice Aycock, Andy Goldsworthy, Charles Ray, and Maya Lin, each responding to the dramatic contours of the Hudson Valley. At Glenstone, step into a setting where art, architecture, and landscape converge, featuring pieces by Richard Serra, Simone Leigh, Alex Da Corte, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Martin Puryear, and Michael Heizer, alongside the striking pavilions opened in 2018. Finally, journey to Château La Coste, a 600-acre estate of vineyards and rolling hills, home to pavilions by Pritzker Prize–winning architects Tadao Ando, Frank Gehry, Oscar Niemeyer, Jean Nouvel, Renzo Piano, and Richard Rogers, as well as remarkable works by Louise Bourgeois, Yoko Ono, Sean Scully, Hiroshi Sugimoto, and Tunga.
Together, these extraordinary sites reveal how artists and architects continue to redefine the possibilities of sculpture, scale, and place, offering a compelling perspective on the interplay between art and landscape.
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