Sculpture gardens have been a welcome, and safe, cultural escape for art lovers over the past year. In the UK, the New Art Centre and Roche Court Sculpture Park, just outside of Salisbury, has been leading a charge for creative outdoor exhibitions, and has managed to stay open to the public during the past two lockdowns. 

Now, as UK regulations ease and the vaccination campaign mounts, the New Art Centre is looking forward to welcoming new visitors to its collection of 20th- and 21st-century art, both on its grounds and with the reopening of its exhibition spaces on April 12. 

The galleries will open with two new solo exhibitions—“From Piero and Other Paintings by Tess Jaray” and “Form swallows function by Fred Baier”—which can both be viewed by appointment in the galleries, and from the outdoors too. The galleries were designed by award-winning architect Stephen Marshall to allow exhibitions to be viewed fully from the outside, an especially fortuitous characteristic this year.  

The Orangery at New Art Centre, Wiltshire. Courtesy of New Art Centre, Wiltshire.

Meanwhile, in the sculpture gardens, three monumental sculptures by Barbara Hepworth have been newly installed on the main lawn, alongside sculptures by Edmund de Waal. Other works are on view by Michael Craig-Martin, Richard Deacon, and Bill Woodrow in the gardens.

“During a time when we will be finding our feet after lockdown, the New Art Centre offers an array of ways to experience art,” said a representative for the organization. 

See images of the New Art Centre below and schedule your appointment to visit. 

Richard Deacon, Groundswell (2020). Courtesy of the artist and New Art Centre, Wiltshire.

Installation shot “Fred Baier: Form Swallows Function.” Courtesy of the artist and New Art Centre, Wiltshire.

Michael Craig-Martin, Corkscrew (Orange) (2019). Courtesy Gagosian Gallery and New Art Centre, Wiltshire.

Installation shot “Tess Jaray: From Piero and Other Paintings.” Copyright the artist and New Art Centre, Wiltshire.

Barbara Hepworth, Three Forms (1968–69). Courtesy of the Hepworth Estate and New Art Centre, Wiltshire.

Anthony Caro, Fossil Flats (1974) Courtesy of the artist and New Art Centre, Wiltshire.