904
(1 vote, average 5.00 out of 5)
Written by Kat Murrell, Contributing writer
May 20, 2010
Dame Barbara Hepworth, Conversations with Magic Stones, 1973. Courtesy of Bowness, Hepworth Estate. – Photo: Rick Ebbers/McDill Design
Everyone has a public and a private face. The person you are at home is a little different from the one on the town. Inviting someone into your abode can be a gracious revelation of self, which comes though in our personality, actions and also the stuff we surround ourselves with.
Art is particularly illuminating in this respect. If you find yourself accumulating a number of pieces – maybe something approaching a collection, whether intentional or not, it can reveal interests that usually go unnoticed. Each work in your home has its memories and meanings. They all speak individually, but as a collection they take a louder voice.
The Lynden Sculpture Garden, which will have its grand opening May 30, is a real treat in this respect. Known more commonly as the Bradley Sculpture Garden, it has been open occasionally in the summer as part of the Milwaukee Art Museum’s programming. Located on the grounds of the former home of philanthropists Harry and Peg Bradley, the garden’s exterior is not ostentatious. It’s marked by a small plaque reading “LYNDEN. Harry L Bradley,” and it’s enclosed by a weatherworn fence on Brown Deer Road in River Hills. Inside the gate, the home and other buildings congregate together, leaving ample space in the back for roaming through monumental sculpture.
The garden is a lovely combination of artistic time capsule, family home and comfortably elegant parkland. The engaging sculptures were chosen by the late Peg Bradley, one of Milwaukee’s great art collectors. Dotted across the estate, which spans 40 acres, are more than 50 large-scale modernist sculptures. The playful and predominantly geometric and abstract works are situated on lush, rolling lawns, accented by clumps of fragrant foliage and set around a sparkling man-made pond.
Sculptures include works by some prominent names in 20th-century art, including Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth and Mark di Suvero. Floating sculptures by Marta Pan take advantage of the watery aspects of the landscape design. Together the works represent a satisfying slice of modernist sculptural practice from the 1960s and 1970s. They are set off beautifully, and many of the locations for the sculptures were chosen by Peg Bradley herself, either independently or in consultation with the artist.
There are no paths in the sculpture garden. Once you leave the terrace, it’s up to you to choose your own. This creates a tremendous sense of freedom, as well as greater engagement with the sculptures.
Meander from one to another, walk fully around each, take the time to explore. This opportunity is often missed in museum settings, which tend to be carefully regulated by the restrictions of walls and lighting situations.
That is not to say that the Lynden will lack in educational resources or direction. Docent-led tours will be available by appointment and organized activities, including summer arts camps for kids, are scheduled. Additional events will include exhibitions in the home, which is also available for meetings and receptions.
The inaugural exhibition, Inside/Outside: Linda Wervey Vitamvas and Kevin Giese, will open on June 27 in a former sitting room. The formal dining room will soon be filled once again with its original furnishings, including an Isamu Noguchi sculpture.
The connection to the past is strong throughout this place, but there are definite contemporary interests at work. Structural changes have been made to the home and grounds in the quest for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification, with modifications such as installing a geothermal heating system inside and pervious asphalt pavement outdoors. Old architectural elements have been relocated and reused, and the indoor swimming pool has been rechristened as the reservoir for the building’s sprinkler system.
These changes, however, are largely invisible. What visitors will experience most is the juxtaposition of art and nature.
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