Umlauf Sculpture Garden in Austin, TX

As you may have guessed by now, I'm a sucker for museums. On Friday, Gail, Mark, Bob and I drove into Austin to visit the Umlauf Sculpture Garden and Museum, home to the largest collection of American sculpture Charles Umlauf's work. Charles Umlauf (1910- 1994) and his wife, Angeline, gave their home and 8 acres of land, his art studio, and 168 sculptures to the City of Austin for public education and enjoyment. Umlauf's sculptures may be found in public collections and museums across the U.S., including the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC.

The setting is serene and contemplative. Here are a few of my favorite sculptures:

Mother and Child, 1960, bronze

Nun, 1972, bronze

Umlauf went to Italy every summer to work. He called this one "everyone's baby."

Bambino su Cuscino, 1976, bronze

Auggie wanted to check out this dangerous-looking fellow. 

Wild Boar, 1979, bronze

This reclining woman represents Charles' wife, Angeline, who wrote poetry her entire life. 

Poetess, 1956, cast stone

After we finished with the sculpture garden, we picked up an Austin "You Are Here" mug for daughter, Kristen, from the Starbucks in the Activity Center of the University of Texas. As Gail and I walked back to the car, we noticed a large sculpture in front of one of the University buildings, and we immediately recognized it as an Umlauf.  We were so proud of ourselves for recognizing Charles Umlauf's work!

Feeling a bit hungry, we drove to Arlo's, a food truck that offers vegan lunches and that is a very popular place in Austin. Bob and I were surprised at how great our "Bac'n Cheeze Burgers" were. It was a bit of a wait to order and get our food, but well worth it.

And because we still were not finished with our day of fun, we stopped off on our return trip to Georgetown, where we enjoyed a glass of wine at Grape Creek Winery.

The 2014 Cabernet Trois was excellent. What a fun day!