Discovering Art in Nature: Two Guides on Outdoor Art Throughout the World.
Here are two publications on the topic of sculpture gardens and parks and outdoor art throughout the world. Two ideal guides to discover sites through monumental works entrusted to nature by their creators.
Amy Dempsey, DESTINATION ART. Site-Specific Art – Sculpture Parks, Thames & Hudson, [2006].
From the Palais idéal by Ferdinand Cheval (1879-1912, Hauterives, France) to Målselv «Cairn» by Danish-Italian artist Alfio Bonanno (2005, Olsborg, Troms, Norway), Amy Dempsey’s guide offers a selection of 200 art sites worldwide, illustrating the different possible relationships between artwork and nature: sculptures imagined and created to be inserted into nature, natural spaces as open sky museums hosting artwork collections, or museums extending their indoor space to the outdoors. Monument for Modern Age, Personal Visions and the Rise of Land Art, Monumental Art and Environment, Destination Art Comes of Age and Into the Future: the book is divided into five chapters dedicated to creations of the 20th and 21st centuries. Each site is introduced by a quote, often times from one of the artists presented in the book, followed by an artwork chronicle at times historical, at times more descriptive. The reader is guided by a chronological classification, useful information and scores of color photographs (a total of 400).
A beautiful book to discover the variety and the diversity which characterize these artistic creations, installed in the midst of nature.
Francesca Cigola, Art Parks, A Tour of America’s Sculpture Parks and Gardens, Princeton Architectural Press [2013]
A much lighter guide, size and content wise, structured around sculpture parks and gardens located in the United States. Divided into three chapters, Leisure Spaces, Leaning Space and Collectors’ Space, each site is presented through a general description and several mid-size illustrations. The United States is divided into four maps defining four geographical areas: West, Midwest, South West and North East, which makes it easy to locate the fifty-five sculpture parks and gardens presented in the book.
