It is a brave thing to do, to place sculpture outdoors: art, so often an attempt to display ‘nature to advantage dressed’, can come out of the encounter having been “shown up”, rather than “shown-off”. Sotheby’s, that colossus of the art world, has ventured northwards and outdoors, in a decision which Sir Humphrey Appleby might call ‘courageous’. Their exhibition, Beyond Limits, brings twenty-nine large contemporary sculptures to the grounds of Chatsworth house, the seat of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire.
Perhaps better known in recent years as the setting for the films Pride and Prejudice and The Duchess, (both starring Keira Knightley), Chatsworth has existed in some form since the 1550s and the grounds deserve a post of their own, designed and elegantly landscaped as they are by the famous, and wonderfully nick-named, Capability Brown. Currently, however, the manicured lawns play host to artwork by Henry Moore, Anthony Gormley and Marc Quinn as well as artists from India, China, Taiwan, France, Spain, Italy, the US and Poland.
Chatsworth is, in many ways an obvious choice by Sotheby’s: the grounds already boast countless sculptures, from a majestic War Horse by Elizabeth Frink (which sadly has been moved to make way for this exhibition) to a wonderfully playful squirting willow tree. And many of these sculptures manage to continue this artistic tradition.
The visitor almost stumbles across Eric Goulder’s sculpture of a nude woman in the centre of a pond, her legs curled up underneath her, as she glances over her shoulder at the intruder. The inspired decision to place this sculpture in the middle of one of Chatsworth’s many water features calls to mind the story of Diana spied upon while bathing, and thus, Goulder’s piece chimes harmoniously with the self-conscious neo-classicism of the Chatsworth grounds.
Other highlights include Claude Lalanne’s Olympe (grande), a large, gleaming gold figure poised on tip-toe and apparently about to take off. Placed in the “sensory garden,” a space which unashamedly attempts to overwhelm the senses, this iridescent piece delights the eyes as the fragrant roses and herbs delight the olfactory senses.
However, while Bernar Venet’s Circular piece, 225˚ Arc x 5 works well in contrast to the classical lines of the house and garden, some of the other sculptures find it hard to hold their own in the surroundings. Zhan Wang’s Artificial Rock #70 looks out of place and gaudy next to the, well, real rocks and Yayoi Kusama’s Narcissus Garden is a clever conceit, but I couldn’t help wondering what the ducks made of the sudden appearance of 874 polished steel spheres in their pond. Anthony Gormley’s scaled down maquette of the Angel of the North is the star of the show but in the vast gardens of Chatsworth, the human-sized angel appears decidedly grounded.
Still, Sotheby’s should be applauded for making the decision, four years ago, to bring an exhibition to Chatsworth and for returning each year since. The exhibition shifts the limelight, albeit temporarily, to the North and besides, their website pleads, it is only 2 hours on the train.
This exhibition runs until 1 November 2009.
Perhaps better known in recent years as the setting for the films Pride and Prejudice and The Duchess, (both starring Keira Knightley), Chatsworth has existed in some form since the 1550s and the grounds deserve a post of their own, designed and elegantly landscaped as they are by the famous, and wonderfully nick-named, Capability Brown. Currently, however, the manicured lawns play host to artwork by Henry Moore, Anthony Gormley and Marc Quinn as well as artists from India, China, Taiwan, France, Spain, Italy, the US and Poland.
Chatsworth is, in many ways an obvious choice by Sotheby’s: the grounds already boast countless sculptures, from a majestic War Horse by Elizabeth Frink (which sadly has been moved to make way for this exhibition) to a wonderfully playful squirting willow tree. And many of these sculptures manage to continue this artistic tradition.
The visitor almost stumbles across Eric Goulder’s sculpture of a nude woman in the centre of a pond, her legs curled up underneath her, as she glances over her shoulder at the intruder. The inspired decision to place this sculpture in the middle of one of Chatsworth’s many water features calls to mind the story of Diana spied upon while bathing, and thus, Goulder’s piece chimes harmoniously with the self-conscious neo-classicism of the Chatsworth grounds.Other highlights include Claude Lalanne’s Olympe (grande), a large, gleaming gold figure poised on tip-toe and apparently about to take off. Placed in the “sensory garden,” a space which unashamedly attempts to overwhelm the senses, this iridescent piece delights the eyes as the fragrant roses and herbs delight the olfactory senses.
However, while Bernar Venet’s Circular piece, 225˚ Arc x 5 works well in contrast to the classical lines of the house and garden, some of the other sculptures find it hard to hold their own in the surroundings. Zhan Wang’s Artificial Rock #70 looks out of place and gaudy next to the, well, real rocks and Yayoi Kusama’s Narcissus Garden is a clever conceit, but I couldn’t help wondering what the ducks made of the sudden appearance of 874 polished steel spheres in their pond. Anthony Gormley’s scaled down maquette of the Angel of the North is the star of the show but in the vast gardens of Chatsworth, the human-sized angel appears decidedly grounded.
Still, Sotheby’s should be applauded for making the decision, four years ago, to bring an exhibition to Chatsworth and for returning each year since. The exhibition shifts the limelight, albeit temporarily, to the North and besides, their website pleads, it is only 2 hours on the train.
This exhibition runs until 1 November 2009.
