Yorkshire Sculpture park marks 40th anniversary

Yorkshire Sculpture Park was founded in 1977 with a £1,000 grant

The Yorkshire Sculpture Park is staging a weekend of special events to celebrate its 40th anniversary.

The park, near Wakefield, was founded in 1977 by Peter Murray and has been expanded from 10 to 500 acres in size.

It started with a £1,000 grant from Yorkshire Arts, but now attracts more than 500,000 visitors each year.

The park includes work by Barbara Hepworth, Henry Moore, Joan Miro, Ai Weiwei, Tony Cragg, Andy Goldsworthy and Antony Gormley.

Michael Lyons (left) and founder Peter Murray

Mr Murray, who was a lecturer in art education at Bretton Hall College, on the same site, when he set up the park, said: "One of the great pleasures is seeing it used by the public.

"Anybody who tells you people are not interested in contemporary art is talking nonsense.

"All you have to do is come to the sculpture park and look at the way people engage with the work - it's quite amazing."

Alf Dunn, Quiet Conversation

Andy Goldsworthy with Dandelion Circle

Magdalena Abakanowicz, Twenty Standing Figures

The park was named the Art Fund museum of the year in 2014, beating venues such as Tate Britain and the Mary Rose Museum to the £100,000 prize.

A study carried out in 2011 said the park brought in about £5m to the local economy.

Elisbeth Frink, Dying King

Peter Randall-Page, The Fruit of Mythological Trees

Sophie Ryder, Pink Lady Hare Dancing with Big Brown Dog

In September 2015, the park said 100,000 people visited to see the Wave poppy sculpture, which had previously been on display at the Tower of London

The celebrations include the opening of a new exhibition, Occasional Geometries, curated by Bangladeshi-born artist Rana Begum.

David Nash, Standing Frame

Tony Cragg, Caldera

Wave - part of Blood-Swept Lands and Seas of Red by ceramic artist Paul Cummins