This Storied British Estate Is Reinventing Itself as an Art Destination

I was walking through an ancient wood when the symphony of birdsong around me was interrupted by a haunting, melodic voice singing an old English folk tune—seemingly coming from a tree. Another voice, several yards away, soon joined it, and yet another across the path shortly after that. One more completed the quartet, and the soft swaying of the towering conifer canopy above me provided light percussion as well as dance instruction.

Could this be some sort of spell? No, it was Scottish artist Susan Philipsz’s 2015 “sound sculpture,” As Many As Will, derived from a series of Elizabethan country dance songs. The work is installed on the grounds of the Goodwood Art Foundation, a sprawling new contemporary art destination in the Sussex countryside, opening to the public on May 31. While this art park may not be bewitched, I nevertheless found myself enchanted by it for its seamless blending of art and nature.

The inaugural season opens with a headlining presentation of works by acclaimed YBA sculptor Rachel Whiteread, including a monumental new staircase sculpture, Down and Up, set into an open field, its stairs connecting both earth and sky. New works by Veronica Ryan and Rose Wylie also dot the 70-acre landscape, as do works by Isamu Noguchi. Hélio Oiticica’s Magic Square #3 (1977–79) is currently under construction and will be unveiled later this summer; it will mark the first outdoor sculpture by the late Brazilian Neo-concrete artist in Europe.

Goodwood is better known for its sporting events like the Festival of Speed, a motorsports fête held every July, and Glorious Goodwood, an annual multi-day horse-racing event that dates to 1802, now officially called the Qatar Goodwood Festival. The grounds belong to Charles Gordon-Lennox, the 11th Duke of Richmond, whose family has held the 11,000-acre estate in West Sussex since the 17th century. The first duke—son of King Charles II and his allegedly “favorite” mistress, Louise de Keroualle—purchased what was then a hunting lodge in order to partake in the Charlton Hunt, reportedly the oldest fox hunt in England. Subsequent dukes added palatial kennels and stables (as well as more wings to the house). Its cricket pitch is one of the oldest in England, with reports of the game being played there dating back to 1702.

“We’re very sporty,” Gordon-Lennox told me over an Earl Grey (his) and a flat white (mine) while we sat on the terrace of 24, the art foundation’s new onsite café designed by Studio Downie Architects. He added that he’s keen to balance that perception with the launch of the sculpture park.

As is the case with most dukes, Gordon-Lennox already has quite the historical art collection. Among the more than 300 works are a series of Canalettos that were commissioned by his ancestor, the second Duke of Richmond, in 1747. There is also a rich collection of sporting paintings by George Stubbs, many of which depict the estate—unsurprising given that his family was one of the artist’s biggest patrons. Stubbs even lived on the estate as an artist-in-residence between 1759–60. Portraits on view bear the signatures of major artists like Joshua Reynolds and Anthony van Dyck. Gordon-Lennox himself is a photographer and, within the last decade or so, a collector of Post-War and Abstract Expressionist photography, “especially camera-less photography,” he said.

Goodwood’s pivot to contemporary art could be positioned as a brand extension strategy, elevating Goodwood’s cultural capital in line with heritage luxury branding—think LVMH’s Fondation Louis Vuitton or Château La Coste. Indeed, his grace has grown Goodwood’s luxury portfolio substantially since taking on the estate’s management in 1994. He now boasts nearly 20 businesses on his property, including Rolls Royce, which established its headquarters there in 2003. Also among the Goodwood portfolio is a 91-room hotel, health club, two golf courses, organic farm, and the impeccably named Goodwoof dog show. The group employs over 550 people and attracts 800,000 visitors to the estate each year. In 2023, its turnover was £135.9 million (around $183 million), according to the Financial Times. 

Gordon-Lennox sees the art foundation as more of a continuation of a mission than a business proposition. Previously, the site was leased to art collectors Wilfred and Jeannette Cass, who originally started a sculpture park there, which closed in 2020. “There’s been a bit of a gap,” his grace said, “but it was important to me that contemporary art remained a part of what’s here.” Two indoor gallery spaces, already in existence thanks to the Cass Sculpture Foundation, have been revamped by Studio Downie. The main gallery features sculptures and photographs by Whiteread. In the Pigott Gallery, set back into the woods, Amie Siegel’s film Bloodlines (2022) plays on loop; it follows the handling and movement of Stubbs paintings from different stately homes around the U.K., including Goodwood.

The curatorial program is run by Ann Gallagher, most recently the director of collections, British Art at Tate. She explained that the foundation will focus on one solo presentation per year, which will be centered in the main gallery and extend out into the landscape, “to allow artists to show works in different mediums and to encourage different experiences with their work.” She added that she hopes to get the program to a stage where it can commission new, permanent works and offer residencies. A later phase of the project will also include another gallery, a performance space, and an education center.

For the launch of the art park, Goodwood has also commissioned a new performance by musician and broadcaster Nabihah Iqbal, curated by Helen Nisbet, who was just tapped as the new director of the Glasgow International. Both Iqbal and Nisbet will continue to work with the foundation to develop a performance and experience program.

Gordon-Lennox wants to ensure that as many people as possible are able to enjoy Goodwood. “Unlike other major outdoor art destinations in the U.K., like Jupiter Artland [in Scotland] and Yorkshire Sculpture Park, we’re accessible by train from London for day trips,” he explained.  Adult tickets are priced at £15 per person, but “green” discounts are available if you arrive by bike or foot. An ambitious learning program will partner with local schools to provide arts education, something sorely lacking from British state school curricula. Visit and transport costs will be covered by the foundation for schools that don’t have the resources to pay.

Environmentalism and sustainability are central to Goodwood, Gordon-Lennox said. To that end, the art foundation has expanded the previously used outdoor sculpture area by nearly two thirds, funded by a major donation from Stephen Scharzman, the CEO of the U.S.-based investment firm Blackrock. The renowned horticulturist and landscape designer Dan Pearson has augmented the site with ever-changing naturalistic, mostly native plantings intended to highlight 24 seasonal moments—thus the numeric name of the café, which features on its menu produce either foraged from the landscape or produced on Goodwood’s farm. 

“When you finish planting something, that’s only the beginning,” Pearson said as we walked the grounds on a damp Thursday morning. The rain had been welcome, given the unusually dry spring England has experienced this year. Purple foxgloves, euphorbias, and geraniums dotted the sloping entryway—what was previously a parking lot. These join naturally growing English bluebells elsewhere in the wood, which had just finished blooming when I visited. 

A second planned phase of additions will encompass more wildflower meadows, a lake just past where Philipsz’s sound work is installed, and possibly a biodiversity area going towards the sea—which is visible on clear days, along with the Isle of Wight. 

More than 1,000 trees have also been planted. Among these is a grove of cherry trees, also just freshly out of bloom and in bright green leaf. These lead to a small chalk quarry, on the opposite side, where Wylie’s new work, Pale-Pink Pineapple/Bomb presides, set back against the curve of the quarry’s side. A single cherry tree is adjacent to it.

“Nature, rather than sign posts, acts as a guide through the park,” Pearson explained, meaning the course of your visit could be shaped differently depending on what time of year you visit and what’s in bloom. 

And it’s true: you don’t necessarily go looking for the artworks at Goodwood, instead you discover them while looking at other things. Much like Philipsz’s voice in the trees, it’s like the sculptures and the soil are sharing a quiet conversation that you just happen to overhear—so you move closer to hear better. That small thrill—that’s where the magic is.

Source: Exhibition - news.artnet.com