How Yorkshire became Britain’s sculpture capital

For many years, London was the place to go to see the great works of sculpture, writes William Cook. But Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth helped change that

Outside, sculpture becomes a sensual experience ( The Henry Moore Foundation/Jonty WildeYorkshire Sculpture Park)

I’m standing on a windswept hillside, looking out across a huge broad valley. I’ve been here many times before, but the view still takes my breath away. At first, you’re struck by the natural beauty of the scenery: the lush fields below, the barren moors beyond. But then you look a little closer and you realise this valley is strewn with artworks. From Henry Moore to Damien Hirst, it’s a history of modern sculpture writ large. Welcome to Yorkshire Sculpture Park, one of the world’s great sites of outdoor sculpture. And welcome to Britain’s dynamic new sculptural capital.

Time was, if you wanted to see sculpture in Britain, London was the go-to destination. You’d go to see classical sculptures in the British Museum, and modern sculptures in the Tate. But now the Big Smoke has been eclipsed by Yorkshire’s so-called “Sculpture Triangle”: Leeds, Wakefield and Yorkshire Sculpture Park (between Wakefield and Barnsley). Here, sculpture isn’t just an adjunct of fine art, but an attraction in its own right.

Yorkshire Sculpture Park (aka YSP) is one of several institutions in Yorkshire that are devoted to sculpture, alongside the Hepworth gallery in Wakefield and the Henry Moore Institute in Leeds. Along with Leeds Art Gallery, which boasts a superb collection, West Yorkshire is now the place to go to enjoy cutting-edge sculpture up close and personal.