Harrison Sculpture Garden

Harrison sculpture garden


The Harrison Sculpture Garden is located on just over 3 acres of rolling hills that surround the Arboretum's High Point. The works of renowned contemporary sculptors interplay with a magnificent landscape of open countryside, with trees and sky that change with every season. The wonders of nature, including wind, water and animals, along with the myths and stories about our place in this world, inspired these leading American and international sculptures of the 20th and 21st centuries. Works are sited around walkways leading up to the peaceful grove of Kentucky Coffee Trees (Gymnocladus dioica) that encircle the highest viewpoint here at the Arboretum.

This gift of Alfred Harrison and Ingrid Lenz Harrison was built during their married lifetime and includes works by artists from around the world, including Italy, England, Zimbabwe and Argentina. Learn more about the Harrison Family

Bench, 2001

Jesus Bautista Moroles 
(1950-2015, American)
granite
21 x 46 x 12.75 inches

Bench

Moroles works in granite, second only to diamonds in its hardness level. Morales stated, "My work is a discussion of how man exists in nature and touches nature." Roughly half of his work is left raw as nature intended and the other half smooth and polished showing how man and nature can co-exist beautifully.

Gift of Alfred Harrison and Ingrid Lenz Harrison, 2017.

Located in the Harrison Sculpture Garden.

Blütenmotiv, 1967-1969

Rudolf Belling
(1886-1972,  German, worked in Turkey)
bronze
66 x 32 x 28 inches

Blütenmotiv

One of the most important German sculptors of classical modernism, Belling, constructed a larger version of this ‘peace flower’ - 6 meters high 3.5 tons-for the 1972 Munich Olympics. As you walk around this swirling design you are given a fully new perspective with each step. Sit at this highest point in the Arboretum and contemplate Bellings graceful blooming flower. You are invited to stand on the stone marking the ‘sweet’ spot at The Echo on High Point.

Canto a Cinque Voci, 2000

René Küng 
(b. 1934, Swiss)
copper
223 x 15 x 10 inches

Cinque Voci

Much of Küng's work turns nature into an instrument, giving it "a mouth to sing." This piece is of a series of Cantos, and its title means "Song for Five Voices." This copper casting asks to be heard as well as seen, creating noise and movement as it blows in the wind.

Canto Notturno, 1984

Mimmo Paladino
(b. 1948, Italian)
bronze
96 x 81 x 43 inches

Canto Notturno

"Night Song" features a tall, elongated human figure that is turning away from, but reaching out to, a more abstract and smaller figure. Paladino says about his work that, "Art should generate ceaseless questions and never give answers."

Confluence, 1991

Antoine Poncet 
(b. 1928, French)
rose marble
48.75 x 33 x 16.63 inches

Confluence

Poncet is the grandson of French painter Maurice Denis and was influenced by Brancusi, Zadkine and Jean Arp in Paris in the 1940's. He believes that movement is essential in good sculpture. He strives for a breathless balance in his work, so that as you look at it, you feel that with a gentle push, the piece would fall. Poncet has said, "Everything is moving in nature, in life."

Construction (Crucifixion), 1966

Barbara Hepworth 
(1903-1975, British)
bronze with color
144 x 156 x 35.5 inches

 

Construction

Art historians suggest this monumental abstract sculpture came during a time of Hepworth's spiritual exploration. There is also a cast of this piece at Salisbury Cathedral in the UK.

Disc Spiral, 2000

Jesus Bautista Moroles 
(1950-2015, American)
green and black granite
97 x 54 x 8 inches

Disc Spiral

This towering work was created from a large circular slab of granite that has been intricately carved. The square keyhole in its center invites you to "frame" your own work of art. Moroles strives to create work to inspire contemplation, meditation and reflection.

Ellipse Column, 2005

Jesus Bautista Morales
(1950-2015, American)
granite
79 x 9.25, self base 2 x 20 x 20 inches

Ellipse Column

His non-traditional carving techniques use a diamond saw to repeatedly chisel away slices of the dense stone. A slab of uncut granite may weigh 10 tons, in contrast to the delicacy of the serene patterns he finds within. In this rectilinear piece, Morales makes the granite appear malleable, light and expressive.

Epidauros II, 1961

Barbara Hepworth 
(
1903-1975, British)
bronze
32 x 27 x 16 inches

Epidauros II

This piece by Hepworth is typical of her early work and succeeds in creating a work that seems to expand and breathe. Hepworth preferred her work to be shown outside and believed sculptures 'grows' in the open light and with the movement of the sun, space and sky above. It was likely inspired by the architecture and surrounding landscape of the ancient Greek city of Epidaurus.

Four Open Rectangles, Diagonally Jointed II, 1986

George Rickey 
(1907-2002, American)
stainless steel
42 x 9, steel post 78" x 1.5 inches

Four Rectangles

Rickey is one of two major 20th century sculptors for whom movement was a central theme; the other, Alexander Calder, was Rickey's inspiration. With skilled engineering and precision-placed bearing, this sculpture seems to move effortlessly with even the slightest breeze. Rickey often told stories about how his WWII work in aircraft and gunnery systems inspired his move from painting to kinetic sculpture.

Fugue Processionaire, 1997

Antoine Poncet 
(b. 1928, French)
rose marble
52 x 68 x 22 inches

Fugue Processionaire

This piece is an abstract, carved marble sculpture, evocative of a bird in flight, with a central void, which is a signature component of the artist's oeuvre. Poncet's accomplished technique in marble is clearly evident in this transcendent work. In Poncet's work, the unsteady effect of movement is balanced by serene harmony making his sculptures aesthetically pleasing. Poncet states "they have the air of being happy to be alive".

Gahn Dancer II, Apache Mountain Spirit Dancer, 1993

Craig Dan Goseyun 
(b. 1960, American, member of San Carlos Easter White Mountain Apache)
bronze
67 x 52 x 53 inches

Spirit Dancer

Craig Dan Goseyun is a member of the San Carlos Eastern White Mountain Apache, and one of a family of visionaries. According to Apache tradition, the Gahn were sent by the Life-Giver to show the Apache rituals to invoke blessings and strong medicine for disease. As time passed, the Apache acted badly, so the Gahn left. Eventually the Apache realized their mistake. Today the songs and dances of the Mountain Spirit Dancers represent the Gahn, summoning their power.

Idyll, 1995

Paul Mount 
(1922-2009, British)
stainless steel
60.25 x 13 x 11.125 inches

Idyll

This piece is quite literally a beacon of reflection. The polished surface reflects light and images from the surroundings, and is therefore always changing, yet always the same. 'Idyll' consists of a rhythmic interplay between solid form and open void created by free manipulation of easily constructed components. "I like form for its own sake," Paul Mount remarked, "whether it's in sculpture, design, music, architecture or painting."

Gift of Alfred Harrison and Ingrid Lenz Harrison, 2017.

Located in the Harrison Sculpture Garden.

Looking into the Wind, 2002

Nicholas Mukomberanwa and Son 
(1940-2002 , Zimbabwean)
springstone
34 x 45 x 24 inches

Looking into the Wind

The acclaimed African artist Mukomberanwa credited his childhood spent in a rural environment "surrounded by mountains and rivers with places full of trees" as the fundamental influence on his work. His work is characterized by sharp lines and hard planes used with confidence alongside sweeping curves and deeply etched surfaces. Springstone is a type of serpentine found in Zimbabwe.

Night Gesture, 1976

Louise Nevelson 
(1899-1988, American, born in Ukraine)
welded aluminum painted black
108 x 113 x 53 inches

Night Gesture

This magnificently large piece is inspired by a stormy ship crossing of the 'Flying Dutchman' in Wagner's opera. Considered one of America's most innovative sculptors, Nevelson said, "I think most artists create out of despair. The very nature of creation is not a performing glory on the outside; it's a painful, difficult search within."

Night Wind Sign, 1996

René Küng 
(b. 1934, Swiss)
bronze
585 x 70 x 13 inches

Night Wind Sign

Music in all its different forms appears often as a theme in Küng's work. He speaks of holding it within himself: "Strings run through my body. Not down its length, but diagonally."

Rolling Over Figure, 1963

F.E. McWilliam 
(1909-1992, British, born in Northern Ireland)
bronze
24.5 x 26 x 29 inches

Rolling Over Figure

McWilliam was a contemporary and friend of Henry Moore. McWilliam tended to work in series, exploring a theme in a succession of variations and abstractions. This is one of several “Figure” works in which McWilliam abstracted how the human form turns, stands, or sits up.

Sahara Variation, 2004

René Küng 
(b. 1934, Swiss)
iron
45 x 66 x 54 inches

Sahara Variation

These two giant coils are connected but winding in opposite directions.

Spirit Bird, 2001

Bridget McCrum
(b. 1934, British)
carrara marble
52 x 60 x 3.5 inches

Spirit Bird

McCrum has been fascinated since childhood by ancient remains, fragments of carving and standing stones in lonely landscapes. Her travels to cultural sites around the Mediterranean and work on archaeological surveys in Africa have influenced her work as a stone-carver. This sculpture was inspired by the limestone cliffs, sea and soaring birds of Gozo Island off the coast of Malta.

Stone Arch, 1995

René Küng 
(b. 1934, Swiss)
limestone
180 x 264 x 12 inches

Stone Arch

Küng has created many windows and gateways. This arch shares characteristics of those works - presenting the beauty of natural stone along with evoking architectural elements of the past. By leaving the stone untouched in some places and expertly worked in others, you are invited to think about humans' ability to transform the elements of nature.

Stone Harp (Orpheus and Eurydice), 1993

René Küng 
(b. 1934, Swiss)
limestone
132.6 x 104 x 74 inches

Stone Harp

Küng invites you to be attentive to the strings of the piece and "hear" the music of nature being played upon them. The alternate title of the work lends an interesting perspective on the myth of the harp-playing Orpheus who failed in leading his beloved Eurydice out of the Underworld.

Sud II, 1993

Mimmo Paladino 
(b. 1948, Italian)
bronze
264 x 88, 82, 80 x 12 inches

Sud II

Paladino belonged to the 'Transavanguardia' movement (beyond the avant-garde) during the 1970's. This group of Italian artists worked in the Neo-Expressionist style, returning to traditional and recognizable subjects in sculpture and painting. History, mythology and the human form were central concerns. 'Sud II' is a monumental bronze casting which captures the essence of world religion, mask making as well as ancient and classical mythic themes.

Summer Dance

Barbara Hepworth
(1903-1975, British)
bronze and paint
36 x 54 x 30 inches

Summer Dance

These two pierced forms allow you to see through the piece into another realm and weave the surrounding space into the sculpture. 'Summer Dance' uses an entirely abstract pictorial language to embody a highly stylized, universal image of a human figure, and reflects the artist's fascination with the relationship between man and nature.

Swimmers, 1990

Paul T. Granlund 
(1925-2003, American)
bronze
57 x 64 x 36 inches

Swimmers

Paul Granlund was sculptor-in-residence at Minnesota's Gustavus Adolphus College from 1971-1996, as part of a career which spanned 50 years. His figurative bronzes have been installed worldwide. Granlund compared the pouring of bronze to the experience of flying, the essence of which carries over into many of his works. These five buoyant swimmers happily frolic in nature surrounded by crabapple trees. Look for his 'Winter and Summer Nymphs', dancing with a similar natural exuberance on the Morgan Terrace by the Snyder Building. 'South Wind II' can be found in the Nelson Shrub Rose Garden and 'Mountain Mirage' in the MacMillian Hosta Glade. Granlund compared the pouring of bronze to the experience of flying.

The Cathedral, 1960

Alicia Penalba 
(1913-1982, Argentinian)
bronze with green patina
65.5 x 17 x 17 inches

The Cathedral

Although she lived in Paris for most of her adult life, Penalba's work was deeply influenced by the landscapes of her youth spent in Argentina. She is known for her totemic, abstract, vertical sculptures that she named after animals, plant material, and natural forces. This work, inspired by her frequent visits to gothic cathedrals in Europe, is as inner expression of spiritualized natural forms.

Wayzata Reel (formerly known as Reel 3), 2006

Philip King
(1934-2021, British, born in Tunisia)
mild steel, zinc sprayed and stove enameled
100 x 204 x 168 inches

Wayzata Reel

King uses a vibrant color palette and bold, unorthodox geometry. An assistant to Henry Moore early in his career, King's work emulates the tone explored by Abstract Expressionist painting. King aims for the visual experience of his work to create a sensation of movement. 'Wayzata Reel' - formerly known as 'Reel 3' - was renamed by King after presenting the piece to the Harrisons in 2006.