When it’s THIS HOT outside, I’m on a hunt for places with AC to spend the day. In that vein I went with a friend to the Baltimore Museum of Art last week and to my surprise, there was a sculpture garden, there in the heart of the city. A very nice one, as nice as the ones we have in downtown D.C. (Interestingly, it reopened in July, 2020, at peak covid.)
So yay, I get to write about something in Baltimore that’s contrary to its image – you know, crime, sports, and a huge collapsed bridge. Don’t forget there’s lots of grand gardens in and around the city, too, (here’s some) and a thriving arts scene.
It’s the city that produced Philip Glass, David Byrne and John Waters, after all. Waters is such a beloved icon, this museum named its all-gender restrooms after him!
Now for the garden, starting here in the sunny part. There’s lots of skepticism about these cultivars of Echinacea purpurea, especially about how long-lived they are, but I can attest that these were covered with bees.
This must be by Alexander Calder, but I don’t know the name. (I wish I could identify all the sculpture for you but the museum’s online info about them is missing the photos.)
You might enjoy this quick video stroll through the garden or praise for the landscape by the Cultural Landscape Foundation.
I’d like to see this in autumn when the Boston ivy is at its peak of color. 
This is Jacob Epstein’s The Visitation.
I love Water Woman by Wangechi Mutu. 
This one’s really famous – Horse by Raymond Duchamp-Villon.
Heading toward the lower, shadier garden, the sculpture in the center is Construction 140 by José Ruiz de Rivera. It whirs and slowly rotates on its plinth.
In the distance you can see Calder’s red 100 Yard Dash.
This rabbit reminds me so much of Thinker on a Rock by Barry Flanagan in the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden, I’m assuming it’s by the same artist.
It’s still hot as hell, so I’m sure to be driving up I-95 again soon to see more Baltimore’s museums. I’ve only been meaning to see them since I moved to this area in 1971, fer crissakes.
Finally Seeing the Baltimore Museum of Art and its Sculpture Garden originally appeared on GardenRant on July 5, 2024.
The post Finally Seeing the Baltimore Museum of Art and its Sculpture Garden appeared first on GardenRant.
