The Fantasy Sculpture Garden Nek Chand (12-15-1924 - 6-12-2015)
Relocated (incl. Museums)
1300 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20004
Sheboygan, WI, 53081, United States
1985
About the Artist/Site
"Last fall, Nek Chand's first work outside India opened at Washington, D.C.'s Capital Children's Museum. Ann Lewin, the founder of the National Learning Center, the parent organization of the museum, invited Chand to make a miniature recreation of his magical garden kingdom. It is the only exhibit that will remain after the national Festival of India concludes this year. The Fantasy Sculpture Garden was created by shipping fifty tons of sculpture from India, and enlisting the services of a huge corps or volunteer contractors and laborers who created an environment and numerous additional sculptures under Nek Chand's supervision."
- SPACES newsletter, Summer 1986
The Capital Children's Museum, now known as the National Children's Museum, began deaccessioning Chand's work in or around 2004 with a donation of 29 sculptures to the American Folk Art Museum in New York, New York. The remaining sculptures in the Museum's collection had been exhibited on a rooftop garden where they were exposed to harsh elements. As such, the work was in great need of conservation. It was placed in storage until the Museum contacted Kohler Foundation in Kohler, Wisconsin to acquire assistance with preservation as well as permanent placement of the work in other institutions. The John Michael Kohler Arts Center in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, acquired all 41 of these sculptures.
For a complete description of Nek Chand and his work, please visit the SPACES page for Chand's original environment The Rock Garden of Chandigarh.
Materials
concrete, fabric, pottery, stone, tile
SPACES Archives Holdings
2 folders: images
Map & Site Information
Sheboygan, WI, 53081
us
Latitude/Longitude: 43.7013054 / -87.7271123
Nearby Environments
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