Lynden Sculpture Garden facts for kids

The Lynden Sculpture Garden is a special outdoor park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It covers about 40 acres, which is like 30 football fields! This park used to be the home of Harry Lynde Bradley and Margaret (Peg) Bradley. Today, it's famous for its collection of over 50 huge sculptures. Peg Bradley collected these amazing artworks between 1962 and 1978. You can find sculptures by famous artists like Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth spread out across the park, near a lake, and in the woods.

History of Lynden Garden

The Bradley Family Home

The Lynden Sculpture Garden was once the private estate of Harry Lynde Bradley and his wife, Margaret Bradley. Harry was an inventor and businessman. He started the Allen-Bradley Company with his brother in 1904. It became a very successful company in Wisconsin. Harry married Peg in 1926. In 1928, they bought this land about 10 miles north of downtown Milwaukee. They named their new home "Lynden."

Creating the English Country Park

The Bradleys bought nearly 40 acres of flat farmland. They worked with landscape architects Langford & Moreau from Chicago. Together, they turned the land into a beautiful English country park. They added gentle rolling hills, many trees, and colorful flower beds. Harry Bradley remembered swimming in a park in Kansas City when he was a boy. So, they designed the lake and a rustic bridge to look like that park.

Planting Thousands of Trees

In 1934, the Bradleys hired Carl Urban. He was a fourth-generation gardener. Carl supervised the planting of garden beds and nearly 4,000 trees. When he first saw the land, it was mostly corn fields with some animals and only 13 oak trees. Over time, they planted many types of trees. These included elms, pines, maples, birch trees, and even a Danish plum tree. Carl Urban lived and worked at Lynden until he passed away in 1991.

Peg Bradley's Sculpture Collection

Plans for a botanical garden were stopped by World War II. But in 1962, Peg Bradley started collecting large, modern sculptures. She was already an experienced art collector. Her collection made Lynden famous around the world. She continued collecting until she passed away in 1978.

The collection includes sculptures by many artists. Some famous names are Alexander Archipenko, Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth, and Mark di Suvero. After buying a sculpture, Peg would sit on her porch. She would direct her staff where to place wooden models of the artworks. This helped her choose the perfect spot for each sculpture. Some artists even visited Lynden to help set up their work.

Changes to the Family Home

The original farmhouse was built in the 1860s. It was made bigger for Harry, Peg, and their daughter Jane. An architect named Fitzhugh Scott designed changes to the barn, bathhouse, and a diving pier. Later, another architect, David Kahler, added an indoor swimming pool to the house. This also gave more space for the Bradleys' growing art collection.

Opening to the Public

In 2009, the Bradley Family Foundation decided to open Lynden to the public. This meant the house and some of the grounds needed a lot of work. Uihlein-Wilson Architects renovated the house. They used building practices that are good for the environment.

The newly created public spaces include a conference room and a large classroom or studio. There's also a gallery and a glass-enclosed area overlooking a big patio. Lynden opened its doors to the public on May 30, 2010. Visitors can take tours (with a guide or on their own). They can also enjoy educational programs, temporary art shows, and performances. Lynden is open all year round.

List of Artists and Works

• Alexander Archipenko - Queen of Sheba
• Max Bill - Rhythm in Space
• Deborah Butterfield - Hara
• Samuel Buri - Des Vaches: Mo, Ni, Que
• Robert Burkert - "Butterflies"
• Aldo Calo - Orizzontale, Tensione No. 2
• Lindsay Daen - The Lovers
• Mark di Suvero - The Lovers, Poland
• Sorel Etrog - Embrace, The Source
• Charles Ginnever - Olympus
• Duayne Hatchett - Rainbow
• Bernhard Heiliger - Unfolding, Vegetative Sculpture I
• John Henry - Pin Oak I
• Barbara Hepworth - Conversations with Magic Stones, Figure Three, Magic Stone Three of Conversations with Magic Stones, Sea Form (Atlantic)
• Linda Howard - Round About, Sky Fence
• Lyman Kipp - Lodgepole
• Bernard Kirschenbaum - Twist for Max, Way Four
• Alexander Liberman - Axeltree, Orbits, Ritual II
• Heinz Mack (Macht) - Knife Tree, Three Graces ‘Thalia’ ‘Aglaia’ and ‘Euphrosyne’
• Tobias Madison & Kaspar Müller - "Bora Bora Structure for Lynden Sculpture Garden, Milwaukee"
• Gerhard Marcks - Bremen Town Musicians
• Clement Meadmore - Double Up, Upstart
• Antoni Milkowski - Salem No. 7
• Henry Moore - Large Torso, Arch, Two-Piece Reclining Figure No. 9
• Robert Murray - Windfall
• Forrest Myers - "Quartet 1967/2013"
• Masayuki Nagare - Ancestor, Bench-Stone
• Isamu Noguchi - Sinai
• Marta Pan - Floating Sculpture No. 3
• Beverly Pepper - Compound Junior
• George Rickey - Peristyle, Three Lines
• James Rosati - Untitled
• Ernest C. Shaw - Arch, Epicenter, Epicenter II, III Columns
• Arlie Sinaiko - Flight
• Tony Smith - Wandering Rocks
• George Sugarman - Trio
• Isaac Witkin - Kumo

Temporary Exhibitions and Performances

Besides its permanent outdoor sculptures, Lynden also hosts many temporary art shows and performances each year. Some of these shows feature artworks from the Bradley Family Foundation's collection. This collection includes paintings, drawings, and smaller sculptures. Other shows feature works by modern artists.

The theme for Lynden's gallery exhibitions in 2010-2011 was Inside/Outside. This series of shows featured pairs of artists. They worked both inside the gallery and outside on the sculpture garden grounds. Inside/Outside gave artists a chance to show the permanent collection in new ways. It also helped the public connect with Lynden and its art. Artists included Kevin Giese, Linda Wervey Vitamvas, Eddee Daniel, and Philip Krejcarek. The series ended with Dressing the Monument. This was an international show of modern sculpture and performances. It featured artists from Switzerland, Milwaukee, Chicago, New York, and Vienna.

Since opening in 2010, Lynden has also hosted many performances. These include dance companies like Eiko & Koma and Trisha Brown Dance Company. They also feature music groups like Present Music and other performance artists.