Roughly an hour north of Manhattan among the rolling hills of Storm King Mountain sits the Storm King Art Center, a massive 500-acre sculpture garden featuring works by some of the most acclaimed contemporary sculptors today. The park wasn’t always known for its art-dotted verdant landscape; Ralph E. Ogden originally founded the center in 1960 as a small museum housing mainly Hudson River School paintings. In 1967, he purchased a series of small sculptures for his garden, proving popular among visitors and firmly establishing the center’s identity as a sculpture garden. He started receiving more sculpture donations and expanded his collection out into the landscape, which quickly changed to accommodate the new artwork.
Unencumbered by the enclosed spaces and white walls that typify many modern art galleries, Storm King instead benefits from a scenic backdrop of rolling landscape and fresh air. A natural setting may seem refreshing and ideal for viewing such large-scale works, but the landscape was carefully crafted to form the perfect setting for the museum and is always in a state of flux from the installation of additional artworks, which aligns with the museum’s mission to integrate art and nature. Today, the outdoor museum features sculptures by modern masters such as Louise Nevelson, Isamu Noguchi, Frosty Myers, Roy Liechtenstein, and other artists featured prominently in New York City’s public realm.
Before establishing Storm King, Ralph E. Ogden made his fortune through his family business producing metal fasteners. He established the museum after deciding that he already made enough money, now wishing to spend it. After purchasing the original 180-acre site for the museum, he started collecting sculptures to harmonize and contrast them with Mountainville’s bucolic beauty, a mission still maintained by the museum’s owners today
| 1958 | Ogden purchases 180-acre plot of land soon to become Storm King Art Center |
| 1960 | Ogden founds Storm King Art Center |
| 1967 | Ogden purchases 13 sculptures; Storm King's identity evolves into sculpture garden |
| 1974 | Ogden dies, his former business partner Peter Stern assumes ownership |
| 1985 | Star Expansion Company donates 2,400 acres for Storm King's 25th anniversary |
| link | Storm King Art Center Official Website |
| article | Storm King - Harvard Magazine |
| internal | Storm King Art Center - Wiki |