SHORT HILLS, NJ.- A resin-coated figure of a horse, peeking out from behind an allée of sycamores, and a spiraling red steel pipe ascending nine feet above a blooming cluster of violet asters: these are among the sights visitors will find at Greenwood Gardens, a 28-acre, 1920s Arts and Crafts estate garden only 45 minutes from Manhattan.

The occasion is Art in Nature: A Collaboration of Greenwood Gardens & Studio Montclair, an exhibition of contemporary sculpture on view through Sunday November 2, 2014, co-organized by Studio Montclair, an arts organization in Montclair, NJ, and curated by art historian and critic Karen Wilkin.

“Art in Nature punctuates the splendid terraces and walks of Greenwood Gardens with a selection of work by distinguished current sculptors ranging from expressive figures and stylized animals to geometric abstractions, and a lot in between,” notes Wilkin. “Unexpected harmonies are revealed, as a provocative conversation develops between works of art and an elegantly disciplined natural world.”

Featuring 39 sculptures representing 31 artists, the works in Art in Nature are varied, ranging from Mia Westerlund Roosen’s “Eminence,” a mysterious and suggestive abstract work of industrial felt and resin to Jon Isherwood’s “Turning Points,” two large granite forms that appear light and animated despite their massive bulk. Other highlights are William Tucker’s expressive bronze sculpture “Horse X” and Anne Arnold’s “Bill,” one of an extensive series of animal sculptures described by The New York Times as “delightful and humorous.”

“Since opening to the public last year, Greenwood Gardens is fulfilling its promise as a special place where visitors can escape from the pressures of city life. Bringing significant works of art into our collection of outdoor ‘rooms,’ we’ve created the perfect setting to elicit the element of surprise as visitors discover each new piece of sculpture,” notes Liz Johnson, executive director of Greenwood Gardens.

Art in Nature: A Collaboration of Greenwood Gardens & Studio Montclair has been co-organized by Studio Montclair and Greenwood Gardens. The program is made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, and is administered by the Essex County Division of Cultural and Historic Affairs. Investors Bank is also a major sponsor of the exhibition.