The Hudson River Valley, developed by nation’s early industrialists, is home to a great wealth of art. My 2005 TREK will take me to some of the modern and contemporary works, mainly sculpture, in its many forms, in richly historic settings with vast open spaces and views to the mountains and water. I suspect there might be a sculptor inside me and I hope that this journey might stir that sleeping giant.
Opus 40
Sculptor Harvey File’s more than 6 acres composition in Bluestone. He began work on it in 1939 and when he fell to his death in the quarry in 1976, it was still not complete. Now finished, it is a testament to his love of stone and masonry.
Olana
Artist Frderic Edwin Church of the Hudson River School of painting completed his Persian style house overlooking the Hudson River in 1891. On 250 acres, Olana is an ornate stone and brick building decorated in a variety of colorful floral and geometric patterns.
Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College
Frank Gehry designed a sculptural and dynamic building housing several performance and rehearsal spaces.
Storm King Art Center
500 acres of unencumbered flowing landscape, sweeping fields, and woods punctuated by monumental modern sculptures: Noguchi, Nevelson, Calder, Serra, Bertoia, Goldsworthy, Lichtenstein, More and Lieberman are among the vast array of artists represented here.
Dia Beacon
Dia Art Foundation’s collection of art and exhibits from the 1960s are housed in the old Nabisco Factory on the Hudson River with gardens designed by Robert Irwin. Opened in 2003, Dia:Beacon was designed to exhibit large scale site-related art inside and out.
Kendall Sculpture Garden at PepsiCo
168 acres of grounds surrounding the PepsiCo Headquarters, design by Edward Durell Stone in 1970. With paths laid out by Russell Page, the garden features works by such great 20th century sculptors as Calder, Segal, Nevelson, Debuffet, Noguchi and Oldenburg.