The Donald M. Kendall Sculpture Gardens - Purchase, N.Y > 근교여행

The result was the Donald M. Kendall Sculpture Gardens. And if you want to spend a fall afternoon accompanied by the imaginations of Alexander Calder, Joan Miró, Alberto Giacometti, Henry Moore, George Segal, Jean Dubuffet and Auguste Rodin, and don’t want to pay $20 or mingle with the tourist crowd at the Museum of Modern Art, you just might want to visit.

The gardens, on the grounds of the company’s headquarters in Westchester County, feature 45 sculptures by some of the best-known artists of the 20th century, and admission and parking are free. The grounds themselves are 168 acres of green lawns, trees, ponds, fountains, and landscaped gardens with a topiary, well-tended hedges, flower beds and water-lily ponds. Sculptures Mr. Kendall himself selected are strategically placed along this colorful backdrop. It’s a setting that might easily tempt employees to spend a weekend at the office. Dilbert, one suspects, would be astonished.

 

The gardens’ visitors center is a good place to start a tour. (From November to March, when the center is closed, but not the gardens, you can get a map from the security guard at the headquarters entrance.)

 

A short pathway leading from the center takes you to Calder’s “Hats Off,” a giant sculpture in bright red. From some angles, it looks as if a human figure is reining in a trio of beasts that might be horses, giraffes or both. Identifying the shapes is part of the fun; it’s like a three-dimensional Rorschach test, minus the psychological evaluation.

 

Although Calder’s beasts seem ready to gallop away, their immediate environment, in contrast, is placid, with a large pond, green meadows and smaller sculptures. The juxtaposition is odd but effective.

 

Behind the Calder is David Wynne’s “Grizzly Bear,” which seems to be standing guard over the pond. Not everyone finds the hulking presence menacing. Marcella Altman, 2, a first-time visitor from Bethesda, Md., thought it resembled her Teddy bear. She was also enthralled by the colorful koi and ducks that swim in the pond, and if not for the presence of her father, Jonathan Altman, she might have waded in to join them.

 

A high arc of spray that revolves around the pond contributes to an overall effect of balance and harmony. The original landscape, designed by E. D. Stone Jr., enhances this effect, providing a vast green stage for the modern headquarters, which was designed by Mr. Stone’s father, the renowned architect Edward Durell Stone.

 

By following the tree-lined path that loops around the pond, visitors come upon Robert Davidson’s “Totems,” a set of three large totem poles that dominate a small clearing. Throughout his career, Mr. Davidson has devoted himself to the artistic traditions of his Haida ancestors in British Columbia, and the totem poles radiate authenticity. Christine Germani, a resident of the area, said that when she was growing up, she believed that the American Indians who had lived there had built the totem poles.

 

Arnaldo Pomodoro’s “Triad,” closer to the headquarters, also contains three large columns, but their design is far from traditional. These appear to have burnt or peeling exteriors that expose elaborate, machinelike interiors.

 

Smaller sculptures also attract attention. Overlooking the lily ponds is Joan Miró’s “Personnage,” a squat figure with flippers, a phallic appendage and a head like an owl’s. Some find it cheerful and charming. Others, like Fran and Ed Opengart of White Plains, do not. “If I were a child, I’d be scared of it,” Mrs. Opengart said.

 

Mr. Opengart said he preferred the gardens’ more conventional sculptures with recognizable forms, like George Segal’s “Three People on Four Benches.” At first glance, the Segal seems to remind you of the pleasures of sitting outdoors. But a closer look reveals that the figures seem quite depressed. Maybe it would be better to stay away, and leave them to their unhappy thoughts.

 

AS you wind your way back to the visitors center, you pass the surrealist “Capricorn,” Max Ernst’s largest freestanding sculpture, placed in front of a wooded area. Ernst, known for his fascination with mysterious forests, would probably have appreciated the setting. And it certainly seems appropriate for the pair of figures in the sculpture, who look as if they belong in an enchanted forest: The “husband” is a regal horned creature with human feet, who holds a scepter in his hand and a pet that appears to be half fish, half dog in his lap, and the “wife” is a towering mermaid with a long neck, birdlike features and a fish on her head.

 

The sculptures in the gardens could occupy visitors for hours. But those in search of even more modern art can head directly across Anderson Hill Road from PepsiCo, to the campus of Purchase College of the State University of New York — and the Neuberger Museum of Art, the eighth-largest university museum in the United States. Established in 1974, the museum has a collection that includes works by Willem de Kooning, Edward Hopper, Calder, Georgia O’Keeffe, Mark Rothko and Jackson Pollock, and a large assortment of African art.

 

Visual arts are not the only cultural offerings on the Purchase campus. Its performing arts center has four theaters and is known for its acoustics and its programs. If you can extend a day trip into the evening, be sure to check the schedule: The 2006-7 season includes performances by the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, the Joffrey Ballet, the Vienna Choir Boys, Emmylou Harris and the Classical Theater of Harlem.

 

If you decide to visit the Purchase campus as well as the gardens, you may want to stop for a meal. One pleasant nearby option is Jordan’s Hilltop Restaurant, at 632 Anderson Hill Road. This local favorite serves American and Mediterranean food at modest prices. Or try the Cobble Stone, a more publike place down the street.

 

If you want fancier fare, consider the Doral Arrowwood, a high-end resort next to the campus that offers three dining options. Sunday visitors may want to make reservations for brunch at the resort’s main restaurant, the Atrium, which has seatings at 11:15 a.m. and 1:45 p.m. You could also try the outdoor restaurant, Mulligans, or the Pub, which is — as you might guess — a pub.

 

Try not to dawdle over your meal; there is too much to see and do. And the cultural part of your trip isn’t costly. As Jerry Hollander, a visitors’ assistant at Kendall, noted, the gardens are not simply beautiful; they’re beautiful and free. Even Dilbert, that corporate cynic, might approve.

 

 

THE Donald M. Kendall Sculpture Gardens and the Purchase campus of the State University of New York are across the street from each other at 700 and 735 Anderson Hill Road, respectively. From Manhattan, the best way to go is by car, via the Hutchinson River Parkway to Exit 28 (Lincoln Avenue). Make a left onto Lincoln Avenue for about a mile and then right on Anderson Hill Road.

 

Or take a Metro-North commuter train to White Plains or Rye, where you can catch a taxi. Or get the No. 12 bus from the White Plains station. For more information, visit www.beelinebus.com.

 

The gardens are open daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., April to October, and from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., November to March. Admission and parking are free.

 

The Neuberger Art Museum at Purchase College is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today; from 11.a.m to 5 p.m. tomorrow; and, starting Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for students. On the first Saturday of every month, entry is free.

 

The Web site for the Performing Arts Center at Purchase is www.artscenter.org (box office: 914-251-6200).

There are three restaurants in the Doral Arrowwood resort (975 Anderson Hill Road, 914-939-5500). Jordan’s Hilltop Restaurant is at 632 Anderson Hill Road (914-253-9055), and the Cobble Stone is at 620 Anderson Hill Road (914-253-9678).