Dulwich Picture Gallery acquires first artwork in 12 years — Bronze Oak Grove sets the tone for new sculpture garden

Dulwich Picture Gallery announces the acquisition of Bronze Oak Grove (2017) by Rob and Nick Carter, the first artwork to become part of the Collection since 2012. This significant addition joins Peter Randall Page’s Walking the Dog as the second sculpture in the world-famous Collection, and names Nick Carter as the sixth woman to be represented in the Gallery’s permanent works.

Bronze Oak Grove sets the tone for the Gallery’s vision to create a free-to-access sculpture garden with a difference, currently taking shape through the major redevelopment project Open Art. This acquisition forms a focal point on an evolving trail of interactive sculptures, through which audiences will be invited to connect with art and nature in innovative and engaging ways. The sculpture garden includes a series of long-term loans by contemporary artists and will feature a new playable sculptural commission installed in 2026, delivered in partnership with the London Festival of Architecture.

Created by husband-and-wife artistic duo Rob and Nick Carter, Bronze Oak Grove consists of nine oak tree stumps cast in bronze and arranged in a circle, which brings to life a drawing of a tree stump made in 1600 by Dutch artist Jacob de Gheyn II (c.1565-1629). Visitors can link this artwork in the gardens to the experience inside the Gallery, which houses a portrait of de Gheyn’s son by Rembrandt. The sculpture is part of the Carters’ ongoing series Transforming that reinterprets historic artworks. Consisting of a process of traditional ‘lost wax’ bronze casting techniques and advanced 3D scanning and printing, Rob and Nick reimagined de Gheyn’s intricate pen and ink drawing into a realistic tree stump.

Encouraging audience discovery, Bronze Oak Grove invites visitors to interact with the bronze tree stumps, whether through sitting, touching, or climbing. Since its initial installation in 2021, the circular grove has also offered a space to be activated by events including yoga sessions, bronze rubbing workshops, and has even hosted wedding celebrations.

Having successfully raised more than £176,500 to acquire the work, which was generously sold by the artists at the cost of materials alone, the sculpture now finds a permanent home at the Gallery. This has been made possible thanks to the vital support of Rob and Nick Carter, Ben Brown Fine Arts, Arts Council England/V&A Purchase Grant Fund, Mimi and Colin Watts, Peter and Bettina Mallinson, alongside contributions following an appeal by Dulwich Picture Gallery. A bespoke limited-edition print created by Rob and Nick Carter, entitled Lemon after Jan Pauwell Gillemans, (2024), will continue to support the Open Art project, which will transform the Gallery’s three acres of previously underused land within the next year.

Rob and Nick Carter, Artists of Bronze Oak Grove, said: “We are deeply honoured that Bronze Oak Grove has found a permanent home at Dulwich Picture Gallery, a space steeped in artistic heritage, and one we have respected and adored for many years. This piece, inspired by the intricate work of Jacob de Gheyn II, merges the past with the present. To have our work permanently displayed alongside masters such as Gainsborough, Canaletto, Rembrandt and Constable is truly humbling.

“We hope this sculpture brings the idea of ‘play’ and interaction back into public art, offering visitors the chance to engage with it in a dynamic and meaningful way. Our aim for the sculpture will continue to inspire, evoke reflection, and foster community engagement for years to come. Above all, we hope it gives pleasure and enjoyment to all who experience it.”

Jennifer Scott, Director of Dulwich Picture Gallery, said: “I am over the moon to have secured Bronze Oak Grove for the Collection. As an independent, non-government-funded charity, we can only acquire works rarely, making this moment particularly special. We are extremely grateful to all the supporters of our fundraising campaign. This engaging sculpture is a hero piece for our long-held dream to create a free-to-access, interactive sculpture garden for everyone to enjoy.” 

The last artwork acquired by the Gallery in 2012 was James Stephanoff’s watercolour The Viewing at Dulwich Picture Gallery (c. 1830), which is the earliest known view of the Gallery’s interior. Now, Bronze Oak Grove further extends the Collection outdoors, displayed alongside contemporary loans for Open Art, Material (SG) IV (2023) by Yinka Shonibare CBA RA and Li Li Ren’s To Find a Way Home (2023).

Open Art is the biggest redevelopment the Gallery has undertaken in over 20 years. As well as the new Sculpture Garden, the project will result in the creation of The Lovington Sculpture Meadow, a new Art Play space, and a Schools and Families Café, and includes vital environmental improvements across the site. Costing £5 million to make Open Art a reality, Dulwich Picture Gallery continues to fundraise for this major capital project. 

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Notes to Editors

Eibhlín Kissack
PR and Marketing Manager
e.kissack@dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk

Images
Image credits: Rob and Nick Carter, Bronze Oak Grove (2017), Dulwich Picture Gallery. Photo by Graham Taylor. Rob and Nick Carter, Bronze Oak Grove (2017), Dulwich Picture Gallery. Photo by Graham Turner 2024.

Rob and Nick Carter
Rob and Nick Carter are a husband-and-wife artist duo who have been collaborating for over 20 years in London, England. The Carters’ work examines the boundaries between analogue and digital, using mediums including camera-less photography, painting, installation, neon, sculpture, and time-based media. The artists’ overarching goal is to harness new technology and reference historical processes that wouldn’t have been traditionally possible to previous artists.

In the last five years, Rob and Nick Carter resolved their curiosity using one profound tool: a robotic arm that they named Heidi. With AI and robotics, the artists taught Heidi, a six-axis Kuka Robot, to paint with exact precision. Heidi has since produced many series that mimic the works of old masters and artistic icons, and portraiture. Their work is housed in the collections of The Mauritshuis, The Hague; The Frans Hals Museum, Haarlem; The Frick, Pittsburgh; The Victoria & Albert Museum, London; The David Roberts Foundation, London; The Städel Museum, Frankfurt; and The Fondation Custodia, Paris, as well as being the only living artists to show a work at the Frick Museum, New York.

Dulwich Picture Gallery
Dulwich Picture Gallery is an internationally renowned art gallery and registered charity which has made great art accessible for the public ever since it opened its doors and set the blueprint for museums in 1817. With an iconic collection of European masterpieces and a dynamic programme of exhibitions, events, and community initiatives, we are passionate about engaging audiences and bringing art to life and life to art within our vibrant and creative spaces.

Find out more and donate at dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk/about/open-art.