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A major new sculpture park will open in our grounds, with works by eight contemporary artists drawn from around the world, including an important new commission.

Our grounds provide a unique landscape for artists to showcase their work. The grouping of the sculptures is inspired by the history and setting yet will also challenge the idea of the 18th century landscape design as a form of ‘utopia’. The sculptures bring new voices and perspectives into the historical landscape to imagine a more communal version of ‘utopia’ for the 21st century.

The sculpture park will include works from leading UK-based artists such as Sarah Lucas (b.1962), who often uses ordinary objects to challenge sex, class and gender (b.1962), Permindar Kaur (b.1965), who commonly uses domestic items to question the meaning of ”home”, and British-Ghanian artist Larry Achiampong (b.1984), whose work focuses on Pan African, future histories, speculative fiction and identity, both personal and communal. Work from international artists will also feature, including London-based French artist Nicolas Deshayes (b.1983) who explores organic and synthetic texture through his work, and Lithuanian artist Augustus Serapinas (b.1990), who draws on his country’s history and culture to produce works made from found material and borrowed objects.

Two legendary figures in sculpture will also have their work featured. On display will be works by French-American artist Louise Bourgeois (1911-2010), best known for her monumental spider sculptures that feature in galleries worldwide, and Turner Prize-nominated British artist Helen Chadwick (1953-1996), who created works investigating ideas of gender and the body.

A significant part of the sculpture park will be an ongoing series of invitations to artists to directly respond to the landscape at Compton Verney and produce and showcase work as a result. The first artist to do so, with a new commission, is Brazilian artist Erika Verzutti (b.1971), whose work can be found in major collections across the world.

Image: © Sarah Lucas, Perceval. Courtesy the artist and Sadie Coles HQ, London.