Adding decorative elements to a garden is a great way to create mood and introduce a focal point. From classical statues to found objects, the possibilities are almost endless

Picture: Allium stainless steel freestanding sculpture by Ruth Moilliet. Available in six sizes from 55 to 150cm and from £5,300 to £16,000, from Barbed, www.barbedltd.co.uk.

Where to see sculpture
Sculpture, both abstract and representational, is now available in wood, stone, reconstituted stone, steel, bronze, wire, acrylic, glass and resin, among other things, and to suit every purse. Events such as RHS Chelsea and Hampton Court Flower Shows display some of what is on offer, and many country houses run regular selling sculpture exhibitions (see list below). Sausmarez Manor on Guernsey, for instance, has a changing display each year, including 200 or so pieces by 90 artists from around the world, with prices ranging from £170 up to £40,000. Seeing the pieces in a garden setting may inspire you on how to use them at home, and many of the artists undertake commissions.

Permanent UK collections
Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Wakefield, (01924) 832631; www.ysp.co.uk, a centre for modern and contemporary art, including works by Anthony Caro, Elisabeth Frink and Henry Moore.

Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden, St Ives, Cornwall, (01736) 796226; www.tate.org.uk/stives/hepworth, provides a unique insight into another of the 20th century's greatest sculptors.

Springfield Festival Gardens, Spalding, including blown-steel water sculptures by Stephen Newby, (01775) 760909; www.springfieldsgardens.co.uk.

Overseas collections
Nasher Sculpture Center, Dallas, Texas, (001) 214 242 5100; nashersculpturecenter.org, has a garden with sculptures by Picasso, Anthony Caro, Rodin, Richard Serra and Barbara Hepworth among others. Beyond most people's purses, of course, but good example of the use of sculptures in different settings. Magdalena Abakonwicz's haunting group of headless women, Bronze Crowd, a tribute to the victims of Auschwitz, is seen here in full sunlight, between a wall and an avenue of trees. Another cast of the same sculpture is in the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden, Washington, DC, (001) 202 737 4215, where the figures are set in a dark glade of trees.

Sculpture Garden at Musée Rodin, Paris, (00 33) 1 44 18 61 10; musee-rodin.fr, has sculptures by Rodin set in a flower garden.

Tuileries Gardens, Paris, has the work of modern sculptors, including Louise Bourgeois, Carl Andre and Ellsworth Kelly, placed among Baroque statues, flowerbeds and lawns.

Chianti Sculpture Park, Siena, Italy, (00 39) 0 577 357151; www.chiantisculpturepark.it, opened two years ago [2004] and features work by 25 international sculptors, including the American Benbow Bullock.

Boboli Gardens, behind the Pitti Palace, Florence, features ancient sculptures as well as a giant head by Igor Mitoraj, created in 1998.

Other sculpture gardens to visit
Borde Hill, West Sussex, (01444) 450326; www.bordehill.co.uk, will run its annual sculpture trail through the historic gardens from 1-31May.

Hannah Peschar Sculpture Garden, Surrey, (01306) 627269; www.hannahpescharsculpture.com, features changing displays of contemporary work.

New Art Centre Sculpture Park & Gallery, near Salisbury, Wiltshire, (01980) 862244; www.sculpture.uk.com, specialises in work from 1950 onwards.

Newby Hall, Gardens and Sculpture Park, Ripon, North Yorkshire (01423) 322583; www.newbyhall.com. The annual sculpture exhibition, set through the gardens and woodland, runs from June to the end of September.

Sausmarez Manor Sculpture Park, Guernsey, (01481) 235571; www.saumarezmanor.co.uk, is open throughout the year.

Sculptors
Brian Alabaster (bronze), (01986) 785520; www.brian-alabaster.com.
Allison Armour-Wilson (acrylic sculptures, fountains and mirrored obelisks), (01293) 871575; www.allisonsgarden.com.
Justine Cook (bronze), (01704) 563036; www.justinecooksculpture.com.
David Harber, David Harber Sundials, (01491) 576956; www.davidharbersundials.com.
Carlos Mata (metal), Halcyon Gallery, (020) 7491 7440; www.halcyongallery.com.
Peter Randall-Page (stone), website only: www.peterrandall-page.com
Gerda Rubinstein (metal), (020) 8852 2958; www.gerdarubinstein.com.
Camilla Shivarg (terracotta and bronze), (020) 7370 2239; www.gallery286.com.
Rupert Till (life-size wire figures), (01386) 701976; www.ruperttill.com.
Anthony Wilson (surreal recycled material), (01985) 840223; www.sculpturemad.com.
Ruth Moilliet (large pieces based on flowers in various materials), 07973 908839; sculpture@ruthmoilliet.com.
Chris Eckersley (steel abstracts), (0121) 440 6730; www.chriseckersley.co.uk.

Specialist companies
Crane Garden Sculptures (brass bird sculptures on spikes, available at John Lewis), (01480) 390281; www.studiomold.co.uk.
Chilstone (busts, urns, statues in reconstituted stone), (01892) 740866; www.chilstone.com.
Haddonstone (busts, urns, statues in cast limestone, in Portland, Bath or terracotta colours), (01604) 770711; www.haddonstone.co.uk.
Natural Driftwood Sculptures (in Canadian western red cedar), (01202) 578274; www.driftwoodsculptures.co.uk.
Barbed (contemporary garden furniture, sculpture and art), (020) 8878 1994; www.barbedltd.co.uk.

WORDS BARBARA SEGALL
APRIL 2007