Gibbs Farm is an open-air sculpture park located in

Kaipara Harbour Kaipara Harbour is a large enclosed harbour estuary complex on the north western side of the North Island of New Zealand. The northern part of the harbour is administered by the Kaipara District and the southern part is administered by the Auckl ...

, north of

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

, New Zealand. It contains the largest collection of large-scale outdoor sculptures in New Zealand. It is the private art collection of New Zealand businessman

Alan Gibbs Alan Gibbs (born 1939) is a New Zealand-born businessman, entrepreneur and art collector. After a successful business career in New Zealand, which made him one of that country's wealthiest individuals, he relocated to London in 1999. He retains ...

; however, it is open to the public on select days throughout the year, usually once per month, on a bookings-essential basis. There is no entrance fee for the public to visit.

Background

After purchasing the of land for "The Farm" in 1991, Gibbs has collected major artworks by many world-renowned artists from New Zealand and overseas. Much of the artwork is commissioned and, as such, incorporates elements of the landscape into the artwork. The farm also includes several exotic animals such as emus and giraffes, a garage where visitors can glimpse the

Gibbs Aquada The Gibbs Aquada is a high speed amphibious vehicle developed by Gibbs Sports Amphibians. It is capable of speeds over on land and on water. Rather than adding wheels to a boat design, or creating a car that floats, the Aquada was designed f ...

through the window, and a full-scale wild west town complete with a saloon (in the installation called ''Grief''). ''Grief'' was built through the inspiration of Gibbs' architect son-in-law, Noel Lane, who now cares for the property with Gibbs' daughter Amanda. The town is on a private area of the farm and is not open to the public. The sculpture ''Electrum'' ''(for

Len Lye Leonard Charles Huia Lye (; 5 July 1901 – 15 May 1980) was a New Zealand artist known primarily for his experimental films and kinetic sculpture. His films are held in archives including the New Zealand Film Archive, British Film Institute, Mu ...

)'', by

Eric Orr Eric Orr (1939–1998) is an American artist who lived and worked in Venice, California from 1965 to 1998. Before moving to Los Angeles in 1965, Orr was a civil rights worker in Mississippi. A key figure of the Light and Space movement, Orr deve ...

, is the world's largest

Tesla coil A Tesla coil is an electrical resonant transformer circuit designed by inventor Nikola Tesla in 1891. It is used to produce high-voltage, low-current, high-frequency alternating-current electricity. Tesla experimented with a number of different ...

( tall) and numerous artworks are large enough to be seen from satellite imagery at high magnification. Gibbs is a major sponsor of

ACT New Zealand ACT New Zealand, known simply as ACT (), is a right-wing, classical-liberal political party in New Zealand. According to former party leader Rodney Hide, ACT's values are "individual freedom, personal responsibility, doing the best for our natur ...

, and most years, the party holds its annual conference at the Gibbs Farm.

Artworks

Photos of artwork

References

External links

* * {{coord, -36.523, 174.435, type:landmark_region:NZ_dim:2000, display=title Gardens in the Auckland Region Sculpture gardens, trails and parks in New Zealand Tourist attractions in the Auckland Region Kaipara Harbour

Background

Artworks

Photos of artwork

See also

References

External links