The Yorkshire Sculpture Park (YSP) is an art gallery, with both open-air and indoor exhibition spaces, in West Bretton,

Wakefield Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 99,251 in the 2011 census.https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/census/2011/ks101ew Census 2011 table KS101EW Usual resident population ...

, in West Yorkshire, England. It shows work by British and international artists, including

Henry Moore Henry Spencer Moore (30 July 1898 – 31 August 1986) was an English artist. He is best known for his semi-abstract art, abstract monumental bronze sculptures which are located around the world as public works of art. As well as sculpture, Mo ...

and

Barbara Hepworth Dame Jocelyn Barbara Hepworth (10 January 1903 – 20 May 1975) was an English artist and sculptor. Her work exemplifies Modernism and in particular modern sculpture. Along with artists such as Ben Nicholson and Naum Gabo, Hepworth was a lea ...

. The sculpture park occupies the parkland of

Bretton Hall Bretton Hall may refer to: * Bretton Hall, Flintshire, former fortified manor house on the England/Wales border * Bretton Hall, West Yorkshire, country house in West Yorkshire, England * Bretton Hall College, former teacher-training college in West ...

History

The Yorkshire Sculpture Park, opened in 1977, was the UK's first sculpture park based on the temporary open air exhibitions organised in London parks from the 1940s to 1970s by the Arts Council and London County Council (and later Greater London Council). The 'gallery without walls' has a changing exhibition programme, rather than permanent display as seen in other UK sculpture parks such as Grizedale Forest.

Exhibition spaces

YSP has a number of areas where its collection is displayed.

Parkland

Yorkshire Sculpture Park Nigel Hall sculpture

The park is situated in the grounds of Bretton Hall, an 18th-century estate which was a family home until the mid-20th century when it became Bretton Hall College.

Follies ''Follies'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Goldman. The plot takes place in a crumbling Broadway theater, now scheduled for demolition, previously home to a musical revue (based on the ''Ziegfeld Fo ...

, landscape features and architectural structures from the 18th century can be seen around the park including the deer park and deer shelter (recently converted by American sculptor

James Turrell James Turrell (born May 6, 1943) is an American artist known for his work within the Light and Space movement. Much of Turrell's career has been devoted to a still-unfinished work, '' Roden Crater'', a natural cinder cone crater located outsi ...

into an installation), an ice house, and a

camellia ''Camellia'' (pronounced or ) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Theaceae. They are found in eastern and southern Asia, from the Himalayas east to Japan and Indonesia. There are more than 220 described species, with some controvers ...

house. Artists working at YSP, such as Andy Goldsworthy in 2007, take their inspiration from its architectural, historical or natural environment. Yorkshire Sculpture Park with Yinka Shonibare MBE sculpture

Yorkshire Sculpture Park with Yinka Shonibare MBE sculpture

Since the 1990s, YSP has made use of indoor exhibition spaces, initially a Bothy Gallery (in the curved Bothy Wall) and a temporary tent-like structure called the Pavilion Gallery. After an extensive refurbishment and expansion, YSP has added an underground gallery space in the Bothy garden, and exhibition spaces at Longside (the hillside facing the original park). Its programme consists of contemporary and modern sculpture (from Rodin and Bourdelle through to living artists). British sculpture is well represented in the past exhibition programme and semi-permanent installations. Many British sculptors prominent in the 1950s and 1960s have been the subject of solo exhibitions at YSP, including

Lynn Chadwick Lynn Russell Chadwick, (24 November 1914 – 25 April 2003) was an English sculptor and artist. Much of his work is semi-abstract sculpture in bronze or steel. His work is in the collections of MoMA in New York, the Tate in London and t ...

, Austin Wright, Phillip King, Eduardo Paolozzi, Hans Josephsohn, and Kenneth Armitage. Exhibitions tend to be monographic – rather than group or thematic. The redundant Grade II* listed St Bartholomew's Chapel, West Bretton built by William Wentworth in 1744 has been restored as gallery space.

Longside Gallery

Longside Gallery is a space for sculpture overlooking YSP. The gallery is shared with the Arts Council Collection for an alternating programme of exhibitions. Between exhibitions, Longside Gallery is used for educational and outreach activities and events.

The Weston

In July 2019, the new visitor centre housing a gallery, restaurant and shop, made the shortlist for the

Stirling Prize The Royal Institute of British Architects Stirling Prize is a British prize for excellence in architecture. It is named after the architect James Stirling, organised and awarded annually by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). The S ...

for excellence in architecture.

References

External links

*
Arts Council case study on the Yorkshire Sculpture Park
{{Authority control Sculpture gardens, trails and parks in the United Kingdom Art museums and galleries in West Yorkshire Tourist attractions in the City of Wakefield Outdoor sculptures in England Museums in West Yorkshire Art museums and galleries in South Yorkshire West Bretton