Inspiring Sculpture Meets Breathtaking Views on Kykuit Garden Tour
By Jim Ormond

In 1963, then Governor Nelson Rockefeller gave a lecture to a group of art students and professors in which he shared his perspectives on art. Among the many insights he gleaned as a lifelong collector and enthusiast, Rockefeller said he learned that “art enhances nature and nature enhances art.”

Of course it is not a given that a piece of art can be placed anywhere and still be suited to its environment. Indeed creating the harmony can be an art in itself, with the natural elements and art pieces serving as the ‘paints’ upon which a complete work will be rendered

Visitors who take the two-hour garden and sculpture tour at Kykuit, the Rockefeller family’s hill top estate near Tarrytown, will have the opportunity to enjoy the late Governor’s comprehensive collection of twentieth century sculpture, take in expansive vistas of the Hudson River and, perhaps, appreciate the creativity involved in choosing and placing each sculpture in just the right spot.

In all there are seventy pieces of sculpture on the Kykuit grounds, most of which can be seen on a full garden tour and many can be seen on the popular house and inner garden tour. There are an extraordinary array of artists represented including Alexander Calder, Henry Moore, and Gaston Lachaise. A few of the of the largest pieces date back to the early 1900’s, when John D. Rockefeller Jr. oversaw the building of the Kykuit mansion and the landscaping of the grounds. The numerous contemporary sculptures added by Nelson Rockefeller during the 1960’s and 1970’s complement the earlier classically-themed pieces placed by his father.

Below we sample a few of the pieces on view during the tour and consider their placement. All tours of Kykuit are managed by Historic Hudson Valley. To sign up for a tour or for more information visit www.hudsonvalley.org or call (914) 631-9491.

 
“NIGHT” sculptor, Aristide Maillol, bronze
Mailliol was a contemporary of Auguste Rodin. Like Rodin’s “The Thinker” the position of the woman in NIGHT with her head in hands evokes a sense of thought and introspection. However, unlike “The Thinker’s,” strenuous concentration, Mailliol’s NIGHT palpably transmits a sense of complete serenity, calm and psychological tranquility. The placement of this piece overlooking the silent Hudson and a horizon of lush, sleepy hills welcomes the viewer in for a moment of repose.
 

“RISING WOMAN” sculptor, George Grey Barnard, marble
The style and location of this piece was probably heavily influenced by William Wells Bosworth, the architect who planned the formal gardens terraces, fountains and pavilions at Kykuit. In this area of the estate, Bosworth was seeking to create a “Renaissance Fantasy.” The arched arbor around the sculpture frames “Rising Woman” in the center of the scene and, combined with the dramatic lawn behind it, resembles a Renaissance painting.

As a corrollary, George Grey Barnard was also deeply interested in Gothic art and architecture, a period that immediately preceded the Renaissance. Barnard would procure architectural pieces from churches and monasteries in France and keep them at his home in Washington Heights section of Manhattan, which he aptly named ‘The Cloisters.’ After Barnard’s death, John D. Rockefeller Jr. purchased the property from which he created the major museum which continues today as part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

 
“GRANNY’S KNOT” sculptor, Shinkichi Tajiri, polyester resin and fiberglass
Many have interpreted Tajiri’s knots as vehicles for expressing unity. With a little imagination, we can see the architectural unity between “Granny’s Knot” and the copper beach trees that encircle it. Tajiri painted most of the large simple knots he created in the late 1960’s white. Placing these stark white sculptures in front of large buildings in urban environments would often set them apart. But the natural landscape of Kykuit suits Granny’s Knot just fine, especially if you consider the black, gray and white hues of winter. After all, outdoor sculpture isn’t just for summer.
 
“HEADLESS WOMAN” sculptor, Alberto Giacometti, bronze
This sculpture, placed by Nelson Rockefeller, provides a smooth transition between the early Renaissance-themed pieces and the more abstract contemporary works at Kykuit. Like, the majestic sculpture of “Oceanus and the Three Rivers” in the background, Giacometti’s “Headless Woman” is figurative and has a certain classical elegance, but it’s ultra-sleek form seems to be elongating before our eyes, reminiscent of the dreamlike work of twenty-century Surrealist artists such as Salvador Dali.
 
“LARGE SPINY,” sculptor, Alexander Calder, painted metal
In a 1932 interview Alexander Calder remarked “Why must art be static?…The next step in sculpture is motion.” In coming upon “Large Spiny” we imagine that this grouping of abstracted animals, perhaps giraffes, have frozen their grazing for a split second. Nelson Rockefeller commissioned this massive piece specifically for Kykuit. His positioning of the piece on a wide open lawn reinforces the illusion that the figures are active and that we are encountering them in their natural domain.
 
“KNIFE EDGE, TWO PIECE,” sculptor Henry Moore, polished bronze
After this piece returned to Kykuit from an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in 1969, Governor Rockefeller placed it in the same location but rotated it 90 degrees from its original position. From the angle in this photograph, we see the interplay between mass and void that was central to Moore’s work. Some have drawn psychological interpretations from Moore’s ‘voids’ when he was using abstract forms to explore human relationships. Others see an artistic rendering of natural processes. Moore once said, “…I have discovered laws of form and rhythm in studying natural forms such as pebbles, rocks, bones, trees and plants,” Through this lens we might see the halves of “Knife Edge: Two Piece” as sections of a rock formation that are slowly separating from erosion caused by the natural forces of time, wind or water.
 
TRIANGULAR SURFACE IN SPACE,” sculptor, Max Bill, granite
The forms of Euclidean geometry interested many artists in the middle decades of the twentieth century. One such devotee was Swiss artist Max Bill who referred to himself a ‘concrete artist.’ Bill explained, “Abstract ideas that previously existed in the mind become visible in concrete form.” The abstract idea represented tangibly in “Triangular Surface in Space,” is an example of what scientists refer to as a ‘Mobius Strip.’ We think our eyes must be deceiving us as we see a continuous loop with only one side. The piece has been astutely positioned to complement the strong geometric lines of this walkway.