JACARANDA TIME AT THE UCLA SCULPTURE GARDEN, Los Angeles, CA

Maja by Gerhard Marcks, Franklin Murphy Sculpture Garden, UCLA

My favorite time of year to visit the Franklin Murphy Sculpture Garden at UCLA in Los Angeles is in May, when the jacaranda trees are blooming. Clouds of blossoms hang from the branches, and at the height of the bloom, the petals begin to drop, carpeting the lawn and walkways with a layer of purple.

Jacaranda trees in bloom at the UCLA Sculpture Garden

During the week the campus is busy with students, but on the weekend, the garden is a quiet place for walking, pushing baby strollers, bird watching, or having an impromptu picnic on the grass. When my children were small, they loved to ride their bikes along the interconnected sidewalks--kid-sized freeways. On the morning of my recent visit, just a few people were there.

Oval Form (Trezion) by Barbara Hepworth

The sculpture garden is located at the north end of the UCLA campus, adjacent to the Young Research Library and the Broad Art Center Plaza. Scattered across more than five acres are over seventy sculptures by artists such as Hans Arp, Deborah Butterfield and Auguste Rodin. Small panels in front of each piece identify the title, artist and source of the gift to UCLA. Founded in 1967, the sculpture garden is managed by the Hammer Museum.

The Walking Man by Auguste Rodin, Broad Art Plaza

Signature of Auguste Rodin on the base of The Walking Man

During the forty plus years that I have lived in Los Angeles, I’ve been to the sculpture garden many times. You can read a report of a visit in 2020, UCLA SCULPTURE GARDEN: A Fresh Air Museum in the Middle of Los Angeles, on this blog HERE. Each time I go to the sculpture garden it is like visiting old friends. Here are a few of my favorite pieces from my most recent visit.

Automne, 1948 by Henri Laurens

  

Detail from Queen of Sheba by Alexander Archipenko

    

Cubi XX, 1964 by David Smith 

 

For more information about the Franklin D. Murphy Sculpture garden and a map of the area, click HERE.

Jacaranda trees (Jacaranda mimosifolia) are native to northwestern Argentina and southern Bolivia, but have been cultivated in almost every part of the world where there is no risk of frost. Jacarandas can be found throughout most of Southern California--including my front yard--where they were imported by the horticulturalist Kate Sessions. (A wonderful children’s book The Tree Lady by H. Joseph Hopkins, tells the story of Kate Sessions (1857-1940), the first female graduate of the University of California with a degree in science, and creator of parks and gardens in San Diego where she is known as the "Mother of Balboa Park".)

Jacaranda petals