Sculpture park honours founding visionary

A leading Yorkshire arts attraction has renamed its main indoor gallery in honour of the man who founded it nearly 50 years ago.

Yorkshire Sculpture Park (YSP) has renamed its Underground Gallery The Peter Murray Gallery in recognition of founder Sir Peter Murray CBE.

The new name was unveiled at a special event attended by artists, supporters, staff and friends of the West Bretton attraction.

Middlesbrough-born Sir Peter founded YSP in 1977 while working at Bretton Hall College, initially supported by a £1000 grant.

His vision established Britain’s first dedicated sculpture park, creating a new model for displaying art outdoors and making sculpture accessible beyond traditional gallery settings.

Acclaimed artist Andy Goldsworthy, who has a long association with YSP and whose work has featured prominently in the Park’s programme, delivered a special address at the unveiling event. 

He said: “The renaming of the Underground Gallery in honour of Sir Peter Murray, who founded YSP in 1977, gives title to the voluminous book that the Park has written over the past 50 years, experienced by all who visit – read with their feet, seen with their eyes and felt in their hearts.” 

Sir Peter led YSP for more than 45 years, during which it developed into an internationally recognised centre for modern and contemporary sculpture.

Today, the 500-acre park welcomes around 500,000 visitors annually, employs more than 200 people and contributes more than £10 million to the regional economy.

Sir Peter was awarded a CBE before receiving a knighthood in the 2022 New Year Honours for services to the arts.

The Peter Murray Gallery, one of four indoor gallery spaces at YSP, opened in the early 2000s and has since hosted large-scale exhibitions by international artists.

Its current exhibition, Hold to This Earth, brings together more than 60 works by contemporary Indigenous North American artists from Tia Collection.

Joe Hill, director and chief executive of Yorkshire Sculpture Park, added: “Renaming the Underground Gallery The Peter Murray Gallery is a fitting tribute to a visionary who changed the cultural landscape of Yorkshire and the UK. 

“Sir Peter’s belief in making art accessible in extraordinary places has shaped everything we do at YSP. 

“This gallery has hosted some of the most ambitious exhibitions in our programme, and carrying his name forward ensures that his legacy continues to inspire artists and audiences for generations to come.” 

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