Collectors Jill And Peter Kraus Cultivate Site-Specific Art On 400-Acre Property

(MENAFN- USA Art News) Collectors Jill and Peter Kraus have spent two decades developing a collection of 18 commissioned outdoor sculptures across their nearly 400-acre property in Dutchess County, New York. Their approach emphasizes site-specific interaction, requiring artists to engage directly with the landscape.

The property's expansive, rolling hills ensure that none of the outdoor sculptures are visible from one another, creating a unique viewing experience. For example, Sabine Hornig's 2010 concrete work,“Entrance With Floating Stairs II,” is positioned atop a hill. Jill Kraus highlighted the work's placement during a tour in May, noting,“You come across it, and as you drive toward it, it starts to disappear, and then it comes back. I think this is the most perfectly sited piece we have. Everybody thinks we manipulated the landscape here, we did not.”

Unlike many collectors who acquire finished works, the Krauses prioritize a collaborative process with artists. Jill Kraus, who holds a BFA and MFA and worked as a design director for 20 years, described their method:“Most people who collect outdoor sculpture just buy and plop it, they have 'plop art.' People are surprised when they come here because they think that's what we've done. They're always shocked at how we work.” She added,“I like to discuss ideas and push artists out of their comfort zone to get them to think about things that they might not normally think about. We want them to look at the natural habitat and then react to it.”

Artists commissioned for new works are required to visit the property at least twice, once when trees are in leaf and once when they are bare, allowing them to choose a specific location. The couple works directly with engineers and fabricators, bypassing art advisors. The collection includes pieces like a Roxy Paine tree sculpture and colorful abstract works by Franz West. The tour, which spans the outdoor commissions and an on-site Art Barn functioning as a mini-museum, takes approximately six hours, with at least two hours needing to occur after dusk to accommodate three video projection pieces.

The tour typically begins with Sol LeWitt's“Dome Structure (Four Domes and A Sphere),” his only realized spherical work. This concrete sculpture, set on a 10-foot foundation, holds personal significance for the Krauses, whose children were friends with LeWitt's children. They commissioned the piece before his death in 2007; it has since developed fissures from weathering.

One of the most collaborative pieces is Tatiana Trouvé's“Between sky and earth,” commissioned in 2012 and adjusted annually since. Trouvé explained her process, saying,“I warned them that it was going to take time, and that this slowness was part of my work.” The Krauses responded,“We have all the time in the world!” The installation, located in a clearing, depicts the belongings of a fictional hermit, crafted from concrete, copper, or bronze, and is in continuous dialogue with its natural surroundings. Jill Kraus noted the ongoing challenge of managing nature's influence, with moss growing on parts of the work and some elements needing repositioning due to weight. Trouvé remarked on the collectors' dedication, stating,“Jill and Peter have that touch of madness that belongs only to passionate people driven by their deep love for artworks and artists. Alongside art and artists, they live an adventure built on sincerity, audacity, and determination.”

The Krauses began collecting art in 1980 with a Pierre Alechinsky print. For decades, they focused on works on paper due to space and budget constraints in their New York City apartment. In 2001, they purchased the Dutchess County property, previously owned by actor James Cagney, specifically to commission large-scale, site-responsive sculptures. Their modestly scaled modernist house on the property was approved by the Dutchess Land Conservancy by demonstrating“historical precedent” through connections to Harvard Five architects John M. Johansen and Marcel Breuer in the area.

Their home houses works by artists including Tacita Dean, Raymond Saunders, Rachel Harrison, Richard Tuttle, Rudolf Stingel, and a commissioned piece by Franz Ackermann. An upstairs, site-specific work by Mel Bochner,“To Count: Intransitive (1972/2009),” features hundreds of numbers inscribed across 10 windows. The Art Barn displays rotating works, with a recent exhibition featuring artists such as Meriem Bennani, Alvaro Barrington, Lauren Halsey, and Helen Marten. It also includes Ericka Beckman's 1986 video“Cinderella” with an original set piece, and Alex Da Corte's 2018 video“Rubber Pencil Devil,” which the Krauses saw at the Carnegie International that year.

Source: ARTnews

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