10 am – 4 pm (November – February)
10 am – 5 pm (March – October)
Closed Mondays (except Bank Holidays)
Holiday hours
Closed 23 – 26 December 2019
Open 27 December 2019 – 5 January 2020 (including Monday 30 December)
Please note the galleries, garden and Roth Bar & Grill be closed 6 – 10 January for maintenance
The galleries will be closed for an exhibition changeover 6 – 24 January 2020
Hauser & Wirth Somerset is a pioneering world-class gallery and multi-purpose arts center which acts as a destination for experiencing art, architecture, and the remarkable Somerset landscape through new and innovative exhibitions of contemporary art. An impressive landscaped garden, designed by internationally renowned landscape architect Piet Oudolf, sits behind the gallery buildings and includes a changing programme of outdoor sculptures, and houses the Radić Pavilion, designed by Smiljan Radić.
Centered around a core belief in conservation, education and sustainability, Hauser & Wirth Somerset offers a wide variety of special events including talks, seminars, workshops and screenings, as well as an extensive learning programme for local schools, young people and families. The center also provides resources including a bookshop and dedicated learning room.
Hauser & Wirth Somerset supports an immersive artist-in-residence programme, encouraging artists to benefit from the idyllic surroundings and to integrate with the local community.
On-site restaurant, Roth Bar & Grill, serves seasonal, locally sourced produce, and is replete with works of art including a site-specific bar created by Björn and Oddur Roth, the son and grandson of artist Dieter Roth.
The centre is located on the outskirts of Bruton, on Durslade Farm, which is a working free-range farm, providing produce for Roth Bar & Grill. The gallery opened in 2014 – prior to this the buildings had remained derelict for several decades, until they were sensitively restored and new buildings added by Paris based architectural firm Laplace. Durslade Farmhouse, the original six-bedroom farmhouse, also renovated by Laplace, is available to rent for short stays.
Hauser & Wirth Somerset has been awarded a RIBA South West Award 2015, a Civic Trust 2015 Award, and in 2014 it was the winner of the William Stansell Historic Buildings Award, for Durslade Farmhouse. In 2015 it ran its own competition for young architects, titled The Shed Project.
The center is open with free admission to the public, six days per week, throughout the year.
Make Hauser & Wirth Somerset. Photo: Emma Lewis
Make Hauser & Wirth Somerset is a destination for contemporary making and the crafted object, showcasing work from the best emerging and established makers both nationally and internationally. Make opened in September 2018 and occupies two rooms of a Georgian townhouse at 13 High Street, Bruton with Jacqueline Moore, formerly of the Moore Gallery, at the helm.
There is an emphasis on work created specifically for Make, presented through an engaging programme of curated exhibitions, with all works available for purchase. The gallery presents approximately six exhibitions per year, some of which includes work created in response to Somerset and the South West, employing locally sourced materials. To coincide, participatory experiences include talks, workshops and community-specific events.
Make Hauser & Wirth Somerset is open from 10 am – 1 pm and 2 pm – 4pm from Wednesday to Saturday.
Christmas Opening Hours
Open 22 – 24, 27, 28 December 2019 and 1 January 2020
Closed 25, 26, 29 – 31 December 2019
19 Oct 2019 – 1 Jan 2020
Make, Somerset
The exhibition presents the work of seven UK-based experimental artists and makers, whose practice explores unique responses to materials and process. The group exhibition will feature new and existing works, spanning glass, ceramics, found objects, textiles and furniture. Whether repurposing,...
Learn more11 Jan – 21 Mar 2020
Somerset
‘dis/rupt’ presents new and existing work by two contemporary makers, London-based Jochen Holz and Belfast-based Derek Wilson. Unique to both makers is a reinterpretation of their materials, exploring notions of functionality, the familiar, and the abstract, each challenging the properties and...
Learn more17 Aug – 12 Oct 2019
Make, Somerset
Make Hauser & Wirth Somerset is delighted to present ‘David Gates: in dialogue’, an exploration of containment, materiality, and the desire to collect, assemble, order and display. David Gates combines studio-furniture making with formal research, creating three-dimensional pieces inspired by...
Learn more8 Jun – 10 Aug 2019
Make, Somerset
‘common ground’ presents works by two highly acclaimed makers: Nic Webb, an artist working with wood and clay, and Akiko Hirai, a ceramicist nominated for this year‘s Loewe Craft Prize. Nic Webb uses a combination of traditional skills and less conventional, experimental processes, to explore...
Learn more6 Apr – 1 Jun 2019
Make, Somerset
‘west lands’ celebrates the work of makers who are based in, or have a strong connection with, the South West. Whether working with locally sourced willow, ash wood or sheep’s fleece, materials from the region have been incorporated into many of the works on show. Equally, an exploration of...
Learn more9 Feb – 30 Mar 2019
Make, Somerset
Both Adam Buick and Stuart Cairns explore their natural environment and local landscape through their work, united by a common interest in material and place. Occupying a single room each at Make, their work sits parted as does their physical practice, facing each other across the Irish Sea....
Learn more1 Dec 2018 – 2 Feb 2019
Make, Somerset
Make’s second exhibition entitled ‘Levelling Traditions’ brings together nine artist-makers united by an intimate understanding of material. Each was invited to create original works to interpret themes of rural life and traditions, the land, the domestic and the intimate – a world in which...
Learn more28 Sep – 24 Nov 2018
Make, Somerset
With the resurgence of interest in craft skills, the landscape of making is changing and with it a dynamic generation of young makers with a shared passion for knowledge, process and materials has come to the fore. The makers exhibited possess an intimate understanding of their material and...
Learn moreWe are proud to present new Hauser & Wirth Publishers title ‘Planting the Oudolf Gardens at Hauser & Wirth Somerset,’ available 19 September. This book unveils Piet Oudolf’s deep horticultural expertise in more than 300 exceptional quality photographs of the gardens at Somerset.
Hauser & Wirth Somerset has a rich and varied education program, providing opportunities for individuals, schools, special interest groups, families and outreach work. In conjunction with the exhibition program, the gallery offers a series of artist, specialist and curator-led talks, seminars and events open to schools, colleges, universities and general members of the public.
Regular events for families are held on the first Saturday of every month. Each exhibition includes a private view just for teachers and online resource packs are available for lesson planning. The gallery’s youth group Arthaus, meet once a month and have the opportunity to meet our artists, gallery team and specialists in a series of events such as workshops, conversations and talks.
Hauser & Wirth Somerset is delighted to welcome back artist Bharti Kher as artist-in-residence. Kher is the first artist to continue a residency in conjunction with their exhibition, and will be staying with us until December 2019. She was previously artist-in-residence with us September – December 2017.
Bharti Kher was born in London in 1969. Kher’s art gives form to quotidian life and its daily rituals in a way that reassesses and transforms their meaning to yield an air of magical realism. Now living in New Delhi, India, her use of found objects is informed by her own position as an artist located between geographic and social milieus.
Hauser & Wirth Somerset offers group tours, talks and tailored events. Pre-booking is essential for both self-directed visits and groups who wish to book a tour. Group leaders are asked to complete and submit a booking enquiry form at least two weeks in advance of your proposed visit.
The Education Team will process your request and check availability for your selected dates. We will aim to be in touch by email within three working days of receiving your form. If you would like to discuss options for a group visit to Hauser & Wirth Somerset, please call our Education Team on +44 1749 814060.
All public areas of Hauser & Wirth Somerset are accessible for wheelchair users. The gallery aims to be as accommodating as possible and if members of your group have disabilities or special needs, then please contact the gallery in advance of your visit to discuss your requirements.
Piet Oudolf, the internationally-renowned landscape designer from the Netherlands, has designed the landscaping scheme for the entire site, including Oudolf Field – a large perennial meadow situated behind the gallery buildings.
Carefully shaped and planted, the garden echoes the tradition of classical gardens, but the variety of species and combination of plants creates a looseness, softening the formality of its appearance. Known for his use of plants with spectacular seed heads, Oudolf has created a garden that has interest year round.
At the top of Oudolf Field sits the Radić Pavilion, designed by Chilean architect Smiljan Radić, it was installed at Hauser & Wirth Somerset in March 2015, following it’s unveiling the previous year as the Serpentine Gallery 2014 Pavilion.
Hauser & Wirth Somerset has a changing program of outdoor sculptures by the gallery’s roster of artists. The works are often used as the inspiration for events and educational workshops.
At the heart of Hauser & Wirth Somerset is onsite restaurant Roth Bar & Grill. Combining gastronomy with contemporary art, the restaurant is a vibrant, informal and convivial eating-place serving honest, simple and seasonal food.
The restaurant, terrace and garden are also available for private hire at other times.
Combining history and character with bold interiors and contemporary art, Durslade Farmhouse is our six bedroom property that is available to rent for single night, midweek, weekend or longer stays.
Dating back to the 18th Century, the Farmhouse was perceptively restored by Paris-based architectural firm Laplace in 2014. Original artworks by Hauser & Wirth artists are hung throughout, including two site-specific installations by Guillermo Kuitca and Pipilotti Rist.
Hauser & Wirth Somerset has two shops selling a range of books on art, architecture, design, food, gardening and landscape, as well as gifts, cards, bags, and limited edition art works.
We work with a range of artisans and makers, many based locally, including wood turner Greg Power who creates his spoons, bowls and cutting boards by hand using wood he sources locally in Somerset, and P.H. Coate and Son who produce stunning handmade willow baskets.
We also offer a range of Hauser & Wirth designed products, from beautiful lambs-wool blankets created by artists Mary Heilmann and Lee Lozano, to stunning Oudolf Field scarves and a range of Laguiole kitchen knives, made by the renowned French company using wood from here on Durslade Farm.
Hauser & Wirth Somerset supports, collaborates and works in partnership with many local institutions, businesses and organizations. Our founders Iwan & Manuela Wirth live locally and are patrons of a number of charities. Their charitable giving is focused on art, architecture, landscape, conservation, gardening, food, education and community.