Museums are often called stuffy and not exactly child friendly either. I get it – nobody wants a screaming child in a museum, least of all your own child. As one friend once said, ‘taking your child to a museum is almost as bad as taking it screaming onto a plane’. So what do you do instead? You go to a sculpture park so your kids can play around without the worry of them breaking anything.
Sculpture parks are an amazing way for children to connect to art. Most children don’t really care about the artist, they just want to touch, climb or jump over the pieces like a climbing frame. That’s why sculpture parks are the ideal setting for seeing and experiencing art. You still get to admire the work of Henry Moore, while your little one can run around like a monkey, while all the while hopefully (perhaps subconsciously for now) developing their love for art.
With the abundance of art museums cropping up around the world, I’d love to see more art outdoors, but I appreciate taking art outside is not easy.
The artist has to consider the natural impact the weather has on the material. Getting it right can be costly, and then there’s the question of space.
Nonetheless, I’m still sure that I’m not the only person wishing art could be accessed more easily from outside the confines of a museum. After making my way through a fair few sculpture parks, here’s my answer to any families looking for a place where their whole family can love and enjoy art outdoors.
Top sculpture parks in Europe
Boboli Gardens – Florence
There are hundreds of reasons why you should visit Florence, and Boboli Gardens is one of them. With rose gardens, panoramic views, and 16th and 17th century statues, this outdoor museum epitomises the image of a romantic garden dating back from the Renaissance period.
Highlights include Neptune’s Fountain, the Little Bacchus Fountain, and a Tyndareus Cracked (1998) by Polish sculpture Igor Mitoraj (pictured above). Interestingly, Mitoraj studied painting under the great Tadeusz Kantor who I discovered during a visit to Krakow’s National Gallery.
Admiring the rotund belly of the “Little Bacchus” Fountain. Dwarves were considered lucky charms in the 15th and 16th Century, so they often appeared in court and home’s of the wealthy. You will see them depicted in Velázquez’s famous painting Las Meninas.
Further reading: 8 Must-Visit Attractions in Florence
Yorkshire Sculpture Park – Wakefield
Is this the best Sculpture Park in England? Definitely. All the great modern masters of giants sculpture can be found here; Antony Gormley, Barbara Hepworth, Henry Moore and Joan Miro to name only a few.
All works are set within a vast countryside setting where sheep and woodland creatures roam free.
Further reading: A Trip to Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Vigeland Sculpture Park, Oslo
Recognised as being the world’s largest sculpture park created by a single artist, Gustav Vigeland single handedly formed an entire world from his hands.
His prolific sculptures dominate the whole park, and from the steps mounting the human obelisk sculpture, you’ll be met with a unique, encrusted skyline of over 200 sculptures made from granite, wrought iron and bronze. Every sculpture creates a new expression and is animated in such an elaborate way that all visitors to the park fail to resist replicating the sculptures themselves. It’s park of the fun!
Further reading: Norwegian Sky & Oslo Opera House
2 Responses
Hi, have you checked out Wanås Konst – a contemporary international Sculpture Park with a mission to produce and communicate art that makes a differece in society, a vison to reach many and be accessible to anyone regardless knowledge in art or not, ethnical background or nay disabilities. We have approx 50 works in the outdoor growing collection, new projects and programs every year, 5000 kids in different educational programs per year, a lunch café, a shop and deli and are heavliy engaged in sustainibility matters. Check us out! /Mattias (Director)
Hi Mattias, I’ve just had a look at Wanås via its website and think it looks great! It’s a place I would love to visit and will definitely keep it in mind for when I happen to be in Sweden next – (I just came back from Gothenburg a couple of weeks ago so it probably won’t be too soon unfortunately).
Thanks for sharing this Sculpture Park and it’s good to hear that sustainability plays a large part in its make-up. Wish I could go right now!