Beyond Limits

Chatsworth House, Derbyshire UK



Above: Marc Quinn, Planet, painted bronze and steel and size 398 by 353 by 926cm



Above: Eric Goulder, Bella Figura, bronze and height 232cm



Above: Richard Hudson, Love Me, polished bronze and height 200cm



Above: Lynn Chadwick, Sitting Couple, bronze and height 255cm



Above: Claude Lalanne, Pomme de New York, bronze and height 248cm



Above: Robert Indiana, The American Love (White Blue Red), polychrome aluminium and size 366 by 366 by 188cm





Above: Salvador Dali, Femme en Flamme, bronze and height 360cm


When looking around Chatsworth House it is evident that the current 12th Duke Peregrine Cavendish and Dutchess Amanda Cavendish are keen collectors of modern art. It is therefore no surprise that Sotheby's chose to house the Beyond Limits exhibition in the grounds of Chatsworth. Beyond Limits is a selling exhibition of monumental modern and contemporary sculpture. It is now in it's third year, following the success of last year where almost all of the 22 pieces found a buyer, and attracted more than 30,000 extra visitors to the garden at Chatsworth.

Director Alexander Platon who has organised the last two exhibitions said, “In the past couple of years, we’ve seen sculpture emerge as one of the fastest growing sectors of the international art scene. It’s a fantastically exciting development, and one that has been particularly evident at the recent Beyond Limits exhibitions we’ve held at Chatsworth: last year’s show attracted buyers from around the world, while at the same time drawing in droves of visitors from across the UK. What to my mind makes the event here so compelling is not only the exciting nature of the pieces we’re able to bring together, but also – and very importantly – the drama of the setting: the gardens here provide the most magnificent backdrop imaginable and that, combined with the hugely powerful juxtaposition of history and modernity, makes for an all-consuming experience.”

This year, Chilean artist Fernando Casasempere has created a work (Fusion) directly inspired by a visit to Chatsworth, while Yorkshire-born Richard Hudson has created a bronze (Love Me) especially for the occasion. Their work will be shown alongside that of other leading contemporary sculptors, such as Jaume Plensa, Fernando Botero, Ron Arad, Kiki Smith, Bernar Venet, Jedd Novatt, Arnaldo Pomodoro, Claude Lalanne, Beverly Pepper, François Xavier Lalanne, Robert Indiana, Manolo Valdes, Kan Yasuda and Eric Goulder. Marc Quinn, Zaha Hadid and Zadok Ben David will also once again be represented. While contemporary sculptors dominate, their work will be complemented by that of artists whose work defines the “modern” era of the early 20th-century artists like Salvador Dalí, Aristide Maillol and Lynn Chadwick.

Perhaps the most dominant pieces is Mark Quinns 'Planet', a ten meter seven ton bronze and steel sculpture of a baby, painted brilliant white and sat playfully in front of Chatsworth house. Mark Quinns sculpture is a literal and symbolic sign of how large the scale of the contemporary art market has become. Quins other works include, a sculpture of Alison Lapper (a disabled pregnant friend of Quinn) on the fourth plinth at Trafalgar square in 2005 and a gold statue of Kate Moss in a yoga position.



Sotheby's Beyond Limits