Independent Collectors

Houghton Hall – King’s Lynn

Lavish 18th century interiors juxtaposed with contemporary outdoor sculpture

Chris Levine, 528 Hz Love Frequency at Houghton Hall, Installation view, 2021, Courtesy of the artist, Pete Huggins
Chris Levine, 528 Hz Love Frequency at Houghton Hall, Installation view, 2021, Courtesy of the artist, Pete Huggins

When exploring the sprawling, landscaped grounds of Houghton Hall, one of England’s finest Palladian houses, to stumble across a contemporary sculpture feels like a happy accident.

The imposing house was built in the 1720s for Great Britain’s first prime minister, Sir Robert Walpole, who put together one of the greatest collections of European art in the country, although later his indebted grandson had to sell the paintings in the collection to Catherine the Great of Russia. The current owner of Houghton Hall, Lord David Cholmondeley, is continuing the collecting tradition, with a focus on contemporary outdoor sculpture.

The first commission was Skyspace by James Turrell in 2000; works by Anya Gallacio, Zhan Wang, Stephen Cox, Jeppe Hein, Rachel Whiteread and Phillip King were added later. In 2017, British sculptor and Turner Prize winner Richard Long created a remarkable series of stone and slate pieces as part of a major exhibition of his work. These solo exhibition focuses have been followed by artists Damien Hirst (2018), Henry Moore (2019) and Anish Kapoor (2020).

Houghton Hall is featured in the BMW ART GUIDE by INDEPENDENT COLLECTORS.

For more information visit Houghton Hall.

Chris Levine, 528 Hz Love Frequency at Houghton Hall, Installation view, 2021, Courtesy of the artist, Pete Huggins
Chris Levine, 528 Hz Love Frequency at Houghton Hall, Installation view, 2021, Courtesy of the artist, Pete Huggins
Chris Levine, 528 Hz Love Frequency at Houghton Hall, Installation view, 2021, Courtesy of the artist, Pete Huggins
Chris Levine, 528 Hz Love Frequency at Houghton Hall, Installation view, 2021, Courtesy of the artist, Pete Huggins
Jeppe Hein, Water Flame
Jeppe Hein, Water Flame
Stephen Cox, Flask II
Stephen Cox, Flask II
Phillip King, Dunstable Reel, courtesy of Houghton Hall
Phillip King, Dunstable Reel, courtesy of Houghton Hall
James Turrell, Raemar Magenta, courtesy of Houghton Hall
James Turrell, Raemar Magenta, courtesy of Houghton Hall
Richard Long, Full Moon Circle, courtesy of Houghton Hall
Richard Long, Full Moon Circle, courtesy of Houghton Hall
Richard Long, White Deer Circle
Richard Long, White Deer Circle

All images courtesy of Houghton Hall.

King's Lynn (1)