Museum Sculpture Gardens: A Brief Illustrated History

Museum Sculpture Gardens: A Brief Illustrated History

Lecture by John Walsh; Film Screening followed by Reception

Museum Sculpture Gardens: A Brief Illustrated History Why do people respond so well to works of art in outdoor settings? John Walsh, Director Emeritus of the J. Paul Getty Museum, shows why in a lecture illustrated with film and slides. Walsh discusses the phenomenon of sculpture gardens and parks that has evolved over the past 50 years starting before World War II at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. He traces the spread of the idea, from outdoor shows in public parks in postwar London and Antwerp to the expansive landscapes at the Kröller-Müller Museum in Holland, the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Denmark, the Storm King Art Center in New York and the Yorkshire Sculpture Park in the United Kingdom. More recently, sculpture gardens have been built on the Mall in Washington, D.C. by the Hirshhorn Museum and the National Gallery of Art and also in Dallas, Houston, Minneapolis, Kansas City and Seattle. As part of his talk, Walsh presents the film, ART WITHOUT WALLS: THE MAKING OF THE OLYMPIC SCULPTURE PARK (USA, 2007, 29 min.) Washington, D.C. Premiere documenting the creation of Seattle’s new Olympic Sculpture Park, which transformed a polluted fuel storage site in the heart of Seattle into a public green space that combines important contemporary sculpture with environmental art and natural beauty. Exhibiting works by such giants as Alexander Calder, Richard Serra, and Claes Oldenburg as well as sculpture by emerging artists, and open free of charge, the park encourages people to experience art as part of daily life. Directed by Rustin Thompson. Produced by Ann Hedreen.

Introduced by John Beardsley, Director of Garden and Landscape Studies, Dumbarton Oaks. Reception follows program.

Ticket/Reservation Info:

THIS EVENT IS FULL.

Dumbarton Oaks, Main House, Music Room,
1703 32nd St., NW
(Metrobuses: 32, 36, D6)