As much as we love you London, sometimes an escape is in order. Heading west where the grass is green, the air is clean and the cider is damn good, Somerset is very often our pick of the rural choice. Especially so when you have a pioneering world-class gallery to be explored.
Cue Hauser & Wirth Somerset as the country destination for any culture vulture keen to still immerse themselves in art and architecture through new and innovative exhibitions whilst endeavouring to retreat from the city. Having opened in 2014, Hauser & Wirth Somerset is part of the global art powerhouse Hauser & Wirth with outlets also in Zurich, London, New York, Los Angeles, Hong Kong and Gstaad, and is a fine contender amongst its counterparts.
Located on the outskirts of Bruton and on Durslade Farm, the space itself is a sensational farmhouse conversion which still continues to operate as a working free-range farm, providing produce for the gallery’s on-site restaurant, the Roth Bar & Grill.
Prior to the gallery’s opening, Durslade Farm’s buildings had remained derelict for many decades, until they were elegantly restored. To undertake the project, prominent Paris-based architectural firm Laplace were instructed. Developing a range of new buildings to the site, the multi-purpose wonderland is a beautiful tribute to the area’s heritage and charm while contemporary in its form. Full of character and bold detail, Hauser & Worth Somerset is a celebration of its natural origins with it combining original fittings with original interiors, dazzled with vintage furniture sourced from local shops and salvage yards. The interior is completed by unique artworks from two of Hauser & Wirth’s artists. Guillermo Kuitca notably created a specially commissioned painted mural for the four walls of the dining room. Laplace also renovated the original six-bedroom farmhouse available to rent for short stays which is a sensation in its own right.
Not only a leading gallery exhibiting some of the art world’s latest star talents, Hauser & Wirth Somerset stands as a further tribute to the local area with an expanse of events and learning opportunities inspired by its countryside and community and an active artists’ residency programme. The centre also provides resources including a library and bookshop. To say Hauser & Wirth offers it all is an understatement.
Step outside and the site’s meadow landscapes will quite literally take your breath away. Designed entirely by globally renowned landscape artist Piet Oudolf, the green spaces are a meticulous example of his work to echo the tradition of classical gardens yet with a variety of plants that deliver a soft formality and blissful expression. Oudolf’s work continues around the farmhouse buildings, including the inner cloister courtyard, where old buildings meet the new. Originating from the Netherlands, Oudolf has received many high profile commissions around the world, including working with Peter Zumthor on the Serpentine Gallery in London in 2011. Even if to walk around the gardens and enjoy its fauna delights, Hauser & Wirth Somerset is worth a visit.
This season, Hauser & Wirth presents a range of exhibitions including Opening Narratives as a celebration of seven makers working with wood, ceramics, textiles and metal.
A first solo exhibition by Berlinde De Bruyckere titled Stages & Tales is also currently on show. Occupying the Rhoades and Bourgeois galleries, De Bruyckere has chosen to present two new bodies of sculptural works, selected in direct relation to the spaces they are exhibited in.
And with there something for everyone, this weekend marks the way for a pumpkin carving workshop. With the kids happy and entertained, and the adults rewarded with their dose of culture, there’s no better way to end the day than a magnificent lunch at the gallery’s on site restaurant. Local produce, good wine and creative cuisine, we’ll see you there.
Hauser & Wirth Somerset, Durslade Farm, Dropping Lane, Bruton, Somerset, BA10 0NL
hauserwirth.com
