Throughout his career, Anthony Caro pushed the limits and definitions of what sculpture could be, beginning with the simple act of placing work directly on the floor without a plinth in the 1960s, and later melding the qualities of sculpture and architecture in his ‘sculpitecture’ works.

He constantly evolved the relationship between object and audience. As Caro’s work grew in scale he began thinking about sculpture as ‘place’, questioning if he could create sculptures that audiences could interact with directly with their bodies.

Caro was initially cautious about placing sculpture outdoors, believing it likely to get ‘blown away’ or dominated by the landscape. Although he had reservations, stating that “all landscape is difficult, YSP can be a difficult space because it is big and demanding”, he felt that Promenade worked well here. It is sited in one of the few flat areas of YSP, complementing the horizontal flow of the work. This monumental sculpture takes its inspiration from paintings of trees by French painter Gustave Courbet, and was originally conceived for the Tuileries Gardens in Paris.