{"id":808758,"date":"2026-07-18T19:07:30","date_gmt":"2026-07-18T19:07:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/808758\/"},"modified":"2026-07-18T19:07:30","modified_gmt":"2026-07-18T19:07:30","slug":"beautiful-outdoor-sculpture-exhibitions-to-visit-this-summer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/808758\/","title":{"rendered":"Beautiful Outdoor Sculpture Exhibitions to Visit This Summer"},"content":{"rendered":"

When encountered in public, art resonates with a rather multi-sensorial effect. Exclusive to the medley of natural light, organic sounds, and ever-changing backdrops, the sensation of viewing art<\/a> outdoors adds another layer to a work\u2019s given qualities. Sunlight\u2019s changing angles, echoes of the surrounding landscape, and a living visual company render public exhibitions<\/a> adventurous and unpredictable. Therefore, it is no wonder that many organizations benefit from the summer season\u2019s hospitable temperatures and growing crowds.<\/p>\n

Europe<\/a> is particularly abundant with sculpture<\/a> shows that boast lush gardens<\/a> and sprawling parks. Escalated visitor numbers, sun-kissed long days, and the legacy of ornate gardens make the list of public art shows grow across the continent. New York City<\/a> institutions, on the other hand, offer programming for discernible staycation fans.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a list of five outdoor garden shows to explore this summer.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\"Sculpture<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThomas Houseago Aluminum Construction N\u00b0 1 (Giant) (2008).
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPhoto: Pablo G\u00f3mez-Ogando. Courtesy of the artist, Banca March and Xavier Hufkens Gallery<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\"Stone<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThomas Houseago Classical Head I (2010).
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPhoto: Pablo G\u00f3mez-Ogando. Courtesy of the artist, Banca March and Xavier Hufkens Gallery<\/p>\n

1. Thomas Houseago \u201cSculptures\u201d | Banca March Gardens in Madrid <\/p>\n

While the countryside attracts organizers of public shows for ample acreage and towering heights, cities can offer unexpected slices of creative stimulation and retreat from urban mayhem. Madrid<\/a> tops many travelers\u2019 vacation plans to experience storied museums, excellent wine, and palatial architecture. This summer, however, wanderers of the Spanish capital may expect a Thomas Houseago<\/a> exhibition, not at Reina Sofia or Prado, but inside a secret garden. Tucked in the upscale Salamanca neighborhood, Jardin Banca March hosts seven sculptures by the British-born and Los Angeles<\/a>-based artist who has recently experienced a meteoric career boom. It is perhaps this preeminence of Houseago\u2019s work across global institutions and galleries that makes the show\u2019s quaint and poetic venue a charmer. The 17,000-square-foot garden sits in the back of local financial institution Banca March\u2019s headquarters. The bank, in fact, invited Houseago to exhibit key works in plaster, metal, and bronze to celebrate its 100th anniversary, following their Lynda Benglis<\/a> exhibition in 2024.<\/p>\n

The show\u2019s Belgian curator Anne Pont\u00e9gnie sees Houseago\u2019s sculptures as \u201cdeeply connected to what surrounds them,\u201d and she tells Galerie that the garden \u201coffers a frame against which each sculpture can be seen in all its dimension.\u201d Large Walking Figure I (Leeds) (2013) sets a fitting example: a 15-foot-tall bronze giant carries its heavy body on its drooping skin, and both gothic and glorious, the sculpture finds a curious narrative within the tall trees that surround its monstrous form, which Pont\u00e9gnie attributes to \u201cSpanish art from Goya to Picasso<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

2. The Venet Foundation | Le Muy, France<\/p>\n

South of France<\/a> is unsurprisingly a sought-after destination for exploratory art installations outdoors. The romantic flora and lavender-scented fields make the region attractive for meandering excursions. The Venet Foundation in Le Muy<\/a> spans a seven-hectare sculpture park to display an ambitious collection of Minimalist and Conceptual art. Besides the usual suspects, such as Carl Andre<\/a>, Robert Morris, and James Turrell<\/a>, the park promises an exploration of their European peers, such as Arman and Claude Viallat. The park\u2019s seminal founder is none other than French sculptor Bernard Venet, who tells Galerie that the collection has grown out of his friendships with most of the artists on site. The park\u2019s green spaces, he notes, were designed to complement the art. \u201cSome sculptures, conversely, found their natural position in dialogue with trees that were already on the site,\u201d he says and adds: \u201cIn this way, a reciprocal relationship emerged between sculpture and landscape, each enhancing the presence of the other.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\"Modern<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBarbara Hepworth Ascending Form (Gloria), (1958).
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPhoto: Nick Singleton<\/p>\n

3. The Hepworth Wakefield Garden | London<\/p>\n

If a garden is a blank canvas, you may think of its plant palette as the painting on its surface. London\u2019s Hepworth Wakefield Garden<\/a>, therefore, is illustrated by the landscaping of the architect Tom Stuart-Smith, who helped turn a former wasteland into an urban haven. Adjacent to the Hepworth Gallery, the grounds, dedicated to the seminal British sculptor Barbara Hepworth<\/a>, bloom with countless herbaceous perennials, tens of shrubs, and a generous wealth of spring bulbs. This summer, add to this potpourri the soft sculptures of the late Indian artist Mrinalini Mukherjee and British painter Lewis Hammond. The pathway to the indoor shows promises riveting views of the park\u2019s permanent installations, such as Hepworth\u2019s 1958-dated diamond-shaped Ascending Form (Gloria) sculpture, which arises from the earth with its bronze body in a totemic elegance.<\/p>\n

4. Tove Jansson \u201cSummer of Moomin\u201d | The New York Botanical Garden<\/p>\n

Play and education can be integral to the experience of a park visit where art is a catalyst for conversation. The New York Botanical Garden<\/a> dedicates its summer programming to introducing visitors of all ages to Tove Jansson, an illustrator and author who was highly influential in her homelands of Sweden<\/a> and Finland<\/a>. Jansson, who passed away in 2001 at age 87, espoused a Scandinavian sense of thoughtful escapism and critical thinking through the wondrous lexicon of myths. Moominvalley was her most celebrated output. A book series at first, the 80-year-old cultural phenomenon has seen the characters appear on a variety of merchandise, television shows, and even decorate Finnish Airlines planes. The botanical garden exhibition carries the book\u2019s legacy into a three-dimensional realm. Large sculptures of the Moominvalley residents pop across the park, either tucked in calm corners for discovery or mounted by the main pathway in large scale. Thomas Zambra, who is a descendant of Jansson\u2019s and a director at the Moomin Characters, says the show \u201cbrings the characters to a landscape that inspired them.\u201d He adds that nature was \u201cfundamental\u201d to how the author lived and notes the ways the garden invites visitors to \u201cslow down, and experience the natural world through the same sense of curiosity and wonder as the Moomins themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\"Abstract<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\tInstallation view, Phyllida Barlow \u201cdisruptor,\u201d Wolterton, (2026).
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPhoto: Eva Herzog. courtesy
\nof Wolterton. \u00a9 Phyllida Barlow Estate<\/p>\n

5. Phyllida Barlow and Daisy Parris | Wolterton Hall, North Norfolk<\/p>\n

Once home to storied families, estates promise layered narratives through personal collections of art, antiques, and furniture, and when they are merged with contemporary voices, the alchemy peels new layers of the existing visual symphonies. And when set amidst 500 acres of grounds\u2014as Wolterton Hall does\u2014the natural wealth becomes the cherry on top. Northern Norfolk\u2019s cherished Palladian estate welcomes the summer with two separate solo presentations dedicated to Phyllida Barlow<\/a> and Daisy Parris<\/a>. The intergenerational pairing of two British artists lures visitors both inside the 18th-century grand dwelling and out to the gardens rich with geraniums, poppies, and fig trees. Barlow\u2019s show \u201cdisruptor\u201d dances between both indoors and out, starting with her intimate acrylic paintings that play with geometry and obscure storytelling at the soaring galleries. The large-scale outdoor sculptures, such as PRANK: jinx; 2022\/23 (2022-23) in steel, lacquer, and fiberglass, translate a similar flirt with the subliminal in massive scale.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When encountered in public, art resonates with a rather multi-sensorial effect. Exclusive to the medley of natural light,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":808759,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[449,458,459,64,63,383552,460,134,15941,205516,383553,383554],"class_list":["post-808758","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-daisy-parris","tag-design","tag-entertainment","tag-exhibitions","tag-james-turrell","tag-new-york-botanical-garden","tag-thomas-houseago"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/808758","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=808758"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/808758\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/808759"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=808758"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=808758"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=808758"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}