Re-seating ‘Seated Woman’

Last Monday (which fortunately dawned with blue sky and sunshine!) saw Henry Moore’s Seated Woman moved back to its original plinth.

Technicians raising the sculpture with the aid of a gantry and lifting slings.

The sculpture had had to be moved during the high winds in February, when one of the tall cedar trees down by the lake became hazardous, particularly for Seated Woman positioned close by. This blustery evening back in February was a great example of the Programming Team having to work quickly behind-the-scenes to make sure things went smoothly – from arranging technicians to bring a crane all the way from Hertfordshire to move the sculpture, to our Technician Jack having to set a new plinth as night drew in!

Henry Moore’s Seated Woman on its temporary plinth with Rodin’s Cybele visible in the background. Photograph (c) Jamie Woodley, reproduced by kind permission of the Henry Moore Foundation and musée Rodin.

With the cedar tree in question taken care of by the Grounds Team, it is great to now see Seated Woman back where she was originally planned to sit (although of course it is impossible for this sculpture not to look majestic wherever it is situated!) Walking out into the grounds from the direction of the house, with a sweeping glance, it is possible to see five iconic sculptures – Seated Woman, Cybele, The Burghers of Calais, Three Piece Sculpture: Vertebrae and Jean d’Aire – all at the same time, a rare and special opportunity!

All hands on deck! Head of Landscape and Gardens Gary helps install the sculpture on its original plinth.

The next change we will see taking place in Moore Rodin will be the arrival of the new Rodin drawings in May, as some of the works currently on show are so delicate and light sensitive that it is impossible to have them on display for the full seven-month run of the exhibition. This is great news for us art lovers, as this means there will be a whole new set of drawings on display from next month! So watch this space for some behind-the-scenes installation shots when they are unpacked…

Lucy