Results: 10 amazing sculpture gardens in the world (Part One)

Green Animals Topiary Garden (The Preservation Society of Newport County, Portsmouth, RI): Purchased in 1872 by Thomas E. Brayton as a summer estate, and currently maintained by The Preservation Society of Newport County in Portsmouth, RI, Green Animals Topiary Garden is one of the United States' most unique sculpture gardens. Giant bears, camels, and giraffes, hand-trimmed from English boxwood and California privet, line pathways adorned with fruit trees, vegetable and herb gardens overlooking Narragansett Bay. Gardener Joseph Carreiro began creating the topiaries for the estate in 1912, and was later joined by his son-in-law George Mendonca. Each sculpture often takes years, or even decades to form and maintain, creating an environment of living sculpture that transforms with the seasons. Are you familiar with the Green Animals Topiary Garden?

Toronto Sculpture Garden (Toronto, Canada): Opened in 1981 in downtown Toronto, the Toronto Sculpture Garden is home to a regular rotating collection of outdoor sculpture. Located across the street from St. James Cathedral, this sculpture garden has provided many emerging and established artists with the opportunity to work outdoors. Toronto-based artists Susan Schelle and Yvonne Singer have both had works displayed at the garden, and with temporary exhibitions changing regularly, this sculpture garden always has something new and original to offer visitors. Have you ever visited the Toronto Sculpture Garden that is located in Canada?

Rock Garden of Chandigarth (Chandigarth - U.T., India): Indian governmental official Nek Chand began building this 40-acre sculpture garden in 1957. Created from found objects and discarded materials, Nek Chand's Rock Garden is filled with whimsical concrete figures, waterfalls, and interlocking pathways to delight and amuse visitors. A true artist, Chand's sculpture garden, which he built illegally on government land, was nearly destroyed in 1975. Currently, the garden, run by the Nek Chand Foundation, has nearly 5,000 visitors daily. Is this the first time you are reading about the Rock Garden of Chandigarth that is located in India?

Hill of Witches (Juodkrante, Lithuania): Walking in the forests of the seaside town of Juodkrante, visitors may come across large hand-carved wooden statues lining the forest's paths. Witches and goblins, carved by local Lithuanian folk artists to celebrate the Festival of St. John, have been standing since 1979. Representing many of the folk legends of Lithuania, the site of the Hill of Witches was once the location of this small resort town's Midsummer Night's Eve celebration. If you had the opportunity, would you be interested in viewing these wooden statues?

Hakone Open-Air Museum (Ashigarashimo District, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan): Opened in 1969 as Japan's first open-air museum, the Hakone Open-Air Museum is the home of over 1000 sculptures, five exhibition halls, and 17 pristinely sculpted acres near Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park. With a collection housing nearly 300 works by Picasso alone, this open-air museum has a number of works by some of the world's finest modern and contemporary masters. Swedish-American artist Carl Milles and French artist Nikki de Saint Phalle both have work in the museum's permanent collection. Have you ever heard of an open-air museum before reading this survey?