Sculptures, installations, and interventions by some of the biggest names in contemporary art inhabit the pastoral 100-acre estate around Bonnington House. The reputed site of sacred ley lines and a possible point of congregation for the Knights Templar, the grounds comprising Jupiter Artland make for an enchanting daytime excursion.
It was 1999 when avid art collectors Robert and Nicky Wilson purchased the historic Bonnington House with a vision of transforming the estate into a sculpture park. Taking cues from Ian Hamilton Finlay’s Little Sparta — the Scottish artist and poet’s famed art garden in the Pentland Hills — the Wilsons got to work on amassing an expanse of outdoor artworks to dot the fields and woodlands around Bonnington.
With over 30 sculptures and installations in the garden’s permanent collection, Jupiter Artland highlights include landscape artist Charles Jencks’ contemplative Cells of Life; Marc Quinn’s colossal Love Bomb; Andy Goldsworthy’s Stone House Bonnington; and Anya Gallacio’s immersive amethyst grotto, The Light Pours Out of Me.
An ongoing program of special exhibitions, new commissions, tours, talks, events, and live performances keep the space fresh for return visitors and serve to engage the region through educational relationships forged with schools, universities, and local community groups.
Jupiter Artland closes to the public in the winter months, reopening in May. Check www.jupiterartland.org for hours. Visitors are advised to take a map of the artworks on view across the estate upon arrival. Picnics and non-assistance dogs are prohibited on the grounds.
