Dulwich Picture Gallery has announced the completion of major development projects that will transform the public offering of the first purpose-built public art gallery. Extending the visitor experience across three acres of additional green space, it represents the biggest redevelopment at Dulwich Picture Gallery in over 20 years, incorporating a new permanent ArtPlay Pavilion and families’ café, as well as an expansion of the free to access Sculpture Garden. As part of the project, elements of Sir John Soane’s 1811 plans for the Gallery will be restored, including a new site entrance on Gallery Road and the opening up of sweeping views across the gardens.
Designed by leading landscape artist Kim Wilkie, The Lovington Sculpture Meadow, which will also open later this year, is a key part of the Sculpture Garden. It has been created in a previously under-utilised field at the south side of the gardens featuring an ‘art forest’ of around 130 newly planted trees designed to enhance biodiversity in the area. The new species-rich meadow includes an undulating land art form inspired by the Gallery’s star work, Girl at a Window (1645) by Rembrandt van Rijn. The Lovington Sculpture Meadow is generously funded by The Lovington Foundation and will celebrate the environmental and health benefits of using green space for art.
This initiative launches a new series of contemporary sculptural installations, which will continually evolve across all areas of the Sculpture Garden. Works by leading contemporary artists will explore themes of nature and play, and connect with the Gallery’s Collection, aiming to spark curiosity and fun for people of all ages. Visitors can expect to encounter interactive sculptures by artists including Makiko Harris, Amy Stephens, and Harold Offeh. New sculptures will join existing works by Yinka Shonibare CBE, Li Li Ren, Peter Randall-Page and Rob and Nick Carter. The latter’s Bronze Oak Grove became the first artwork to be acquired by the Gallery for over a decade in 2024.