Art in Nature - by Reto Thüring (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

An exclusive invitation to explore an extraordinary private sculpture park

Set on a 150-acre property of former apple orchards, steep woodlands, meadows, and ravines just east of Cleveland, Ohio, Rowdy Meadow is the visionary sculpture park commissioned by American arts patron Scott Mueller. Visitors traversing its extensive network of trails will discover an extraordinary collection of more than sixty outdoor works by leading contemporary artists, including Andy Goldsworthy, Anish Kapoor, Ai Weiwei, James Turrell, Virginia Overton, Sol LeWitt, Elmgreen & Dragset, and Richard Serra.

Art in Nature welcomes readers to explore this special place through lush visuals and fascinating texts. Vivid color photography captures the striking dialogue between Rowdy Meadow's grounds, designed by innovative landscape architecture firm Reed Hildebrand, and the artwork, including site-specific commissions. More than forty specially commissioned interviews accompany the artists' entries. These engaging texts provide new insight into the practices of some of the most exciting contemporary artists working today and contextualize their pieces at Rowdy Meadow.

Mueller's world-class private collection will ultimately be bequeathed to the Cleveland Museum of Art. For now, Art in Nature is an exclusive all-access pass, allowing readers to experience its unique interplay between art and ecology.

About the Author

Reto Thüring is Head of Culture at the Foundation für Art, Culture, and History in Winterthur, Switzerland. From 2018 until 2023 he was the Beal Family Chair, Department of Contemporary Art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Prior, he was Chair of Modern, Contemporary, Decorative Art and Performing Arts, Music, and Film at the Cleveland Museum of Art.

William M. Griswold is the director and Sarah S. and Alexander M. Cutler Chair of the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Emily Liebert is the Lauren Rich Fine Curator of Contemporary Art of the Cleveland Museum of Art.