New Sculpture Exhibition Opens At Home Of Britain’s First Prime Minister

Myth, a major new exhibition by the acclaimed British sculptor, Stephen Cox has opened in Norfolk across the park, gardens and interiors of Houghton Hall and runs to 28 September 2025. The annual sculpture exhibitions at Houghton are always awe inspiring partly because of their setting at one of the UK’s most magnificent stately homes.

This year’s exhibition represents the largest and most comprehensive group of work by Stephen Cox ever shown. Spanning over 40 years, it includes work conceived and produced all over the world from India to Egypt, Italy and the UK.

There are 20 sculptures in marble and stone dotted around the expansive grounds, while smaller works are in the State Rooms on the first floor of the house, where William Kent’s exuberant decorative scheme has hardly changed since it was created in the early 18th century. A modern gallery space in the South wing of the house shows a group of works on paper, alongside a large marble and porphyry sculpture, Shrine, which was created for the celebrated Encounters exhibition at the National Gallery in 2000.

Stephen Cox is widely regarded as one of the leading British sculptors of his generation, renowned for his large-scale stone works. His art has gained international recognition, with major exhibitions at institutions such as MoMA in New York, the National Gallery, and Tate Britain in London. Stephen Cox’s works are carved in the rarest, hardest and heaviest of stones and marbles. He has also worked in the great Christian tradition of stone carving, creating a Verde Aosta marble altar for Canterbury Cathedral, as well as a number of smaller sculptures evoking the martyrdom of the saints.

Stephen Cox’s sculptures are held in numerous private and public collections worldwide, with significant commissions completed in the UK, India, and Egypt. In 2006, he was elected a Royal Academician.

Working with traditional carving methods, Cox has shaped materials like marble, alabaster, and porphyry. Notably, he became the first artist in centuries to access the historic Imperial Porphyry Quarries in Egypt’s Eastern Mountains. Two of Cox’s greatest works in Imperial Porphyry are now on permanent display outside the Cairo Opera House. But some other artworks that resulted from Cox’s encounter with Egypt including some of the largest, heaviest sculptures have been transported to Houghton for this exhibition, including Interior Space on the front lawn of the house.

Houghton Hall, constructed in 1722 as a residence for Britain’s first Prime Minister, Sir Robert Walpole is one of the finest examples of Palladian architecture in England. Nestled in the Norfolk countryside, the house and its expansive grounds are a destination in their own right.The house passed to the Cholmondeley family through marriage in 1797 and is still lived in by the family.

Since 1976, the estate has welcomed visitors each summer, showcasing both its historic charm and artistic legacy. Stephen Cox is the tenth artist to exhibit at Houghton, joining a prestigious lineup that includes Antony Gormley (2024), Sean Scully (2023), Chris Levine and Tony Cragg (2021), Anish Kapoor (2020), Henry Moore (2019), Damien Hirst (2018), Richard Long (2017), and James Turrell (2015). Several works from these exhibitions have become permanent fixtures on the estate.

Houghton has a storied relationship with the art world, once housing one of the most renowned private collections globally. Assembled by Robert Walpole, the collection featured Roman antiquities and masterpieces by Da Vinci, Van Dyck, Rubens and Rembrandt. In the 18th century, these treasures were sold to Catherine the Great, and today over 120 pieces reside in the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg.

Tickets

Stephen Cox, Myth at Houghton Hall Norfolk, UK. Until 28 September 2025. Tickets: Adults £22 Students £10 Under 18s free.