The Goodwood Art Foundation opens to the public on 31 May 2025 with a clear objective: to establish itself as a serious centre for contemporary art in the UK. Located in West Sussex and set across 70 acres of reimagined landscape, the Foundation’s inaugural season brings together six international artists whose work engages directly with material, context and history. The programme has been curated by Ann Gallagher, one of the UK’s leading figures in contemporary curation, and it introduces a model of programming that embeds art within the natural and architectural framework of the site.
Artists included in the opening season are Isamu Noguchi, Hélio Oiticica, Susan Philipsz, Veronica Ryan, Amie Siegel and Rose Wylie. Their works will be installed across the grounds and galleries, positioned to encourage sustained interaction with the environment. In addition, a major solo exhibition by Rachel Whiteread, will run through to November. This combined programme demonstrates a serious commitment to presenting ambitious, historically significant and current work to a wide audience.
Two sculptures by Isamu Noguchi act as a foundation for a future survey of his work at the site. Noguchi’s Octetra (1968/2021), originally part of his “Playscapes” series, is grounded in geometric experimentation and designed to be physically encountered. Known for breaking disciplinary boundaries between sculpture, design and architecture, Noguchi remains one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. His presence at Goodwood is strategic: his work reflects the Foundation’s intention to integrate sculpture with lived experience and public space.
The programme also includes a significant European first. Hélio Oiticica’s The Invention of Colour: Magic Square #3 (1977–79/2025) will be the first outdoor sculpture by the late Brazilian artist to be shown on the continent. Oiticica developed the Magic Square series to interrogate colour, form and political context. This large-scale installation has been constructed from the artist’s original instructions and is designed to allow full audience interaction. Its presence reflects the Foundation’s position on presenting landmark works that carry historical and cultural significance.
Turner Prize-winning artist Susan Philipsz contributes a sound installation titled As Many As Will (2015). The work features four distinct vocal lines that shift and overlap within a wooded area of the site. Each vocal part is drawn from 16th-century English dance traditions. Philipsz uses sound to transform physical spaces, and her work at Goodwood continues this methodology. The installation invites movement through the woodland, creating a spatial listening experience that aligns with the Foundation’s commitment to sensory engagement and critical historic reference.
New sculptures by Veronica Ryan are also featured. Known for her exploration of memory, trauma and ecological survival, Ryan uses organic forms and natural materials to generate works that reference botanical life, migration and identity. The pieces at Goodwood include references to the magnolia tree – a resilient species with global roots. These works are placed within the existing landscape planting, designed to blend natural history with contemporary artistic enquiry. Ryan’s inclusion affirms the Foundation’s investment in artists whose work is grounded in cultural and material research.
Inside the Pavilion Gallery, Amie Siegel presents Bloodlines (2022), a film that follows the circulation of paintings by George Stubbs from private collections to museum exhibitions. The work interrogates systems of cultural value, institutional control and the visibility of ownership. Alongside the film, Siegel presents Cloudes (2023), a suite of prints drawn from details of Stubbs’ skies. These works use techniques of montage and repetition to question how images evolve across time and context. Siegel’s project engages directly with the heritage of the Goodwood Estate, where Stubbs spent nine months producing a set of sporting scenes that remain part of the historic collection.
Rose Wylie, one of the UK’s most recognisable contemporary painters, brings her work into three dimensions with Pink Pineapple (2025), a new bronze sculpture. Wylie’s practice draws on language, memory and popular culture. This work examines the history of the pineapple as a colonial symbol of status and femininity. Its exaggerated form and humorous tone push against conventional expectations of public sculpture. The piece will be permanently installed on the grounds, where it sets a clear precedent for irreverence and bold formal choices in the Foundation’s outdoor programme.
Rachel Whiteread’s exhibition spans multiple indoor and outdoor locations and includes a new concrete sculpture developed specifically for the site. The presentation offers an overview of Whiteread’s recent work, including photographs and objects that respond to natural and built environments. As the first woman to win the Turner Prize and a leading figure in British sculpture, Whiteread brings gravitas and continuity to the launch season. The Foundation’s decision to anchor its opening programme with her work is deliberate and impactful.
The Goodwood Art Foundation has been built on three core principles: art, education and environment. Its goal is not just to exhibit contemporary art but to foster engagement, encourage learning and create long-term opportunities for artists and audiences. Through considered curation, site-responsive programming and significant new commissions, it is already positioning itself as a key player in the UK’s cultural landscape.
This opening season is designed to reflect a clear point of view. The Foundation is not operating as a passive venue but as an active, critical space for contemporary practice. By commissioning and exhibiting artists who work across different geographies, disciplines and histories, Goodwood is establishing a distinctive institutional voice. It places a premium on context, on form and on depth of engagement. We can’t wait to see how this ambitious project unfolds in the years to come.
Goodwood Art Foundation opens 31 May 2025 | goodwoodartfoundation.org
Words: Anna Müller
Image Credits:
1. Rachel Whiteread, Down and Up, 2024-2025, at Goodwood Art Foundation. Photograph by Lucy Dawkins, courtesy of the Goodwood Art Foundation.
2. Hélio Oiticica, Magic Square #3: Invention of Color, 1987. Painted cement wall, brick, metal, glass roof, marble chips. Installed at Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil, Brasilia 2022-2024 © César and Claudio Oiticica; Courtesy tuîa arte produção. Photography by Joana França.
3. Isamu Noguchi, Octetra (three-element-stack), 1968/2021, at Goodwood Art Foundation. Photograph by Lucy Dawkins, courtesy of Goodwood Art Foundation.
4. Isamu Noguchi, Octetra (three-element-stack), 1968/2021, at Goodwood Art Foundation. Photograph by Lucy Dawkins, courtesy of Goodwood Art Foundation.
