The Annual Darien Historical Society Antiques & Garden Elements Fair set up June 8 at the lovely Tilley Pond in-town park, the first time at this location.

Internationally celebrated as one of the leading sculptors working today, Martin Puryear (b 1941) is known for his painstakingly constructed, wood abstractions of rich, symbolic beauty. Using time-consuming, hand-crafting methods, he frequently blends wire mesh and tar with wood, often evoking associations with animal, vegetable and human forms, as well as such artifacts as nets, tools and vessels. A gifted member of the post-Minimalist generation, his powerful and evocative pieces are notable for their inventive forms, consummate craftsmanship and unusual beauty. The imagination, skill and charm of the oeuvre of this African American sculptor are splendidly showcased in ⁍artin Puryear,†featuring 46 works, including one monumental piece created especially for the exhibition tour. Already seen at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City and the Modern Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas, it is on view at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., through September 28.