The Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden

“Civitas” [1988] - Audrey Flack (left) and “Karma” [2011] - Do-Ho Suh (right)

“Monumental Head of Jean d'Aire” from “The Burghers of Calais” [1884-86, enlarged 1901-10] - Auguste Rodin (left) and “Overflow” [2005] - Jaume Plensa (right)

The Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden is adjacent to the Museum (NOMA) in City Park, New Orleans. Admission is free. We were surprised by how much we liked this 5 acre park. We were expecting a sterile sculpture experience, but we alas, we were wrong. First, the sculptures (57+ pieces) are amazing. You may not care for them all, but there is guaranteed to be a piece or two to make you stop, gawk, and wonder how you could get it into your own garden. Second, the setting works well. Under mature live oaks and other trees, there is a sense of, well, maturity about the garden. The setting and layout lends itself to discovering hidden pieces, like an Easter egg hunt; you can’t take the whole garden in a glance by any means. It takes several laps around to begin to appreciate the layers and different views of the works.

Garden Vistas with Lagoon

“Hercules the Archer” [1947] - Antoine Bourdelle (left) and “Riace Warriors I, II, III, IV” [1983-1988] - Elisabeth Frink (right)

“Heroic Man” [1930-34] - Gaston Lachaise (left) and “Monkeys” [1998-2001] - Rona Pondick (right)

 Views of “Karma” [2011] - Do-Ho Suh
 

“Karma” [2011] - Do-Ho Suh (left) and “Standing Man with Radiating Words” [2006] - Leslie Dill (right)
 

Two Views of “Large Seated Cardinal” [1983] Giacomo Manzu

“The Labors of Alexander” [1967] - Rene Magritte (left) and “Window and Ladder - Too Late for Help” [2008] - Leandro Erlich (right)


“Three Figures and Four Benches” [1979] - George Segal (left) and “Una Battaglia (A Battle)” [1971] - Arnaldo Pomodoro (right)

“Venus Victorius” [1914] - Pierre Auguste Renoir with “Reclining Mother and Child” [1975, 77] – Henry Moore in the background (left) and golden archer, unidentified (right)

Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden Brochure and Map of the Garden