LONDON, ENGLAND.-The National Art Collections Fund (Art Fund) announced today that it has commissioned a permanent ‘skyspace’ by James Turrell at Yorkshire Sculpture Park (YSP) , the first contemporary commission for the Art Fund and its most significant gift to the nation since The Burghers of Calais by Rodin in 1911. The ‘skyspace’ will open to the public in late April 2006.

The Art Fund was keen to commission a work by Turrell - a major international artist who has until now hardly been represented in UK public collections. Having discovered YSP’s long-term ambition to create a permanent ‘skyspace’, the Art Fund decided to donate the total sum required to create it. The total cost of the project is likely to be in the region of £800,000. The money was made available from separate funds put aside to celebrate the Art Fund’s Centenary with a purchase in 2003. This commission inaugurates a new and more active phase in the life of the Art Fund.

James Turrell has a long association with YSP. He first proposed transforming YSP’s disused 18th century, Grade II Listed deer shelter into a ‘skyspace’ in 1993 following an extended visit to Yorkshire. This major work will not alter the shape of the landscape or disturb the tranquillity of the site, but will create a place of contemplation and revelation. This new ‘skyspace’ will contribute to YSP’s growing international reputation for displaying significant contemporary art and sculpture.

The work of the Art Fund is essential to the growth of public art collections and it aims to respond to the evolving needs of the sector. By funding this project the Art Fund will ensure the work of a significant international artist is sited permanently within the British landscape for all to enjoy free of charge. Not only will the Deer Shelter project enhance YSP, it will be the first readily accessible ‘skyspace’ by Turrell in the UK.

David Barrie, Director, National Art Collections Fund said, “The Art Fund is proud to be donating a major work by this internationally acclaimed artist to the nation. We’ve done nothing like this since 1911 when we gave The Burghers of Calais by Rodin to the nation. We are delighted it will be at Yorkshire Sculpture Park where it will be readily accessible and free of charge. We hope people will come from all over the country, and indeed from around the world, to experience this work.”

Peter Murray, Executive Director for Yorkshire Sculpture Park who has overseen the Park’s development over the past 30 years added, “The building of Turrell’s ‘skyspace’ at YSP is the culmination of a long cherished dream. We are grateful to the Art Fund for their support and value their forward thinking which will enable us to continue to expand our displays of work by leading international artists.”

“Look within yourself and welcome the light”, was once the advice of James Turrell’s Quaker grandmother, scarcely anticipating where it might lead him. Born in Los Angeles in 1943, Turrell is an artist of international acclaim as a ‘sculptor of light’. For over 40 years he has created a wide range of works – from indoor pieces which baffle the senses, creating an illusion of infinite diffused light, to outdoor ‘skyspaces’ where a patch of sky appears to be within easy reach – stretched like a trompe l’oeil painting across the ceiling. Turrell is perhaps best known for his ambitious Roden Crater project in the Arizona desert, in which an entire extinct volcano is being transformed into a series of ‘skyspaces’ that will harness the light from sun, moon and stars. YSP will host a major exhibition of Turrell’s work this year opening on 5th November and running until Autumn 2006.