Ursula von Rydingsvard‘s works are monumental in size. For some thirty years, she has been creating large-scale sculpture from fragrant cedar beams, which she painstakingly cuts, assembles, and laminates, finally rubbing powdered graphite into the work‘s textured, faceted surfaces. Mighty yet modest, the pieces are as overpowering as mountains in their dimensions while the wood‘s warm aura offers a sense of homely intimacy. Her sculptural practice expresses a creative will, physical exertion and great confidence in the intuitive artistic process.
Between May 11 and October 12, 2014 Schoenthal Monastery will host Ursula von Rydingvard�s first presentation in a Swiss institution. Since the year 2000 private collector John Schmid has transformed Schoenthal Monastery into a place of cultural encounters. More than 30 site specific works of contemporary sculpture are embedded into the untouched landscape of the Jura hills, where they engage in a dialogue with history and nature. Art walks start at the Romanesque monastery church, which houses the gallery for temporary exhibitions such as Ursula von Rydingsvard�s. The spaces of the former Benedictine monastery, founded in 1145, can also host management retreats and other events, while individual guest are invited to enjoy the quiet of the renovated cells overnight. The future of the estate, which also includes a farm, is secured by the non-for-profit foundation Sculpture at Schoenthal and its Society of Friends.
Born in 1942 in Deensen, Germany, Ursula von Rydingsvard received a Master of Fine Arts degree from Columbia University (1975) and taught sculpture at the Yale School of Art and Architecture (1981-1989). Her studio has been based in New York City for several decades. In summer 2013 Ursula von Rydingsvard was a guest at Schoenthal for the first time, accompanied by Peter Murray, director and founder of the Yorkshire Sculpture Park.
Yorkshire Sculpture Park was opened in 1977 in the grounds of Bretton Hall, an 18th century estate near the City of Leeds. It is the oldest, and at 500 acres also the largest, sculpture park of its kind in Europe. Every year about 350,000 visitors enjoy seeing more than 60 important free-standing artworks of English and international origins, and temporary exhibitions in the five art galleries. Schoenthal Monastery is proud of its first official cooperation with YSP that organizes an extensive survey of large-scale works by von Rydingsvard running from 5 April 2014 to 4 January 2015.
