Lynden Sculpture Garden facts for kids
The Lynden Sculpture Garden is a special outdoor art park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It used to be called the Bradley Sculpture Garden. This amazing place is 40 acres big, which is like 30 football fields! It's filled with over 50 huge sculptures. These artworks were collected by Margaret Bradley between 1962 and 1978. You can see sculptures by famous artists like Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth, and Mark di Suvero. The sculptures are placed all around the park, which has a lake and lots of trees.
Contents
The Story of Lynden
How the Garden Began
The Lynden Sculpture Garden was once the home of Harry Lynde Bradley and his wife, Margaret Bradley. Harry was an inventor and businessman. He started a company called Allen-Bradley with his brother in 1904. It became a very successful company. Harry and Margaret bought this land in 1928. They named their new home "Lynden."
The land was mostly flat farmland. But the Bradleys wanted to create a beautiful English-style park. They worked with landscape architects to add gentle hills, trees, and flower beds. They even designed a lake and a rustic bridge. The lake reminded Harry of a place where he used to swim as a boy.
Planting the Park
In 1934, the Bradleys hired Carl Urban, a skilled gardener. He helped plant nearly 4,000 trees on the property. There were many types of trees, like elms, pines, and maples. Carl Urban lived on the property and worked there until he passed away in 1991. The Bradleys had plans for a big botanical garden. However, World War II stopped those plans.
Collecting the Sculptures
In 1962, Margaret 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.
Margaret would sit on her porch and decide where each sculpture should go. Her staff would make wooden models of the sculptures. Then, she would direct them on where to place the real ones. Some artists even came to Lynden to help set up their artworks.
The original farmhouse on the property was built in the 1860s. It was made bigger for Harry, Margaret, and their daughter Jane. Later, an indoor swimming pool was added. This also gave more space for the Bradleys' growing art collection.
Opening to Everyone
Becoming a Public Park
In 2009, the Bradley family decided to open Lynden to the public. This meant they had to make some big changes. The house was updated using environmentally friendly methods. New public areas were created. These included a conference room, a large classroom, an art gallery, and a glass-enclosed space. This new space overlooks a large outdoor patio.
Lynden Sculpture Garden officially opened its doors to visitors on May 30, 2010. Now, people can take tours, join educational programs, and see special art shows. It is open all year round for everyone to enjoy.
Artists and Their Sculptures
Lynden Sculpture Garden is home to many amazing artworks. Here is a list of some of the artists and their sculptures you can find there:
- 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
Special Exhibitions and Shows
Art Inside and Out
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 artists from today.
One special series of shows was called Inside/Outside. It started in the summer of 2010. This series featured pairs of artists. They created art both inside the gallery and outside in the sculpture garden. This helped visitors see the permanent collection in new and exciting ways. Artists like Kevin Giese, Linda Wervey Vitamvas, and Eddee Daniel participated. The series ended with a big international show called Dressing the Monument.
Performances at Lynden
Since opening in 2010, Lynden has also hosted many performances. These include dance groups like Eiko & Koma and the Trisha Brown Dance Company. Music groups like Present Music have also performed there. These events add even more life and art to the beautiful garden.
