Sean Henry's sculpture Seated Figure is placed in the school's library, in a window just above two comfortable armchairs where students can sit and take a break. When the artist visited the school in the winter of 2025, he chose the location himself.
Sean Henry normally depicts anonymous people — the unglamorous, controlled, thoughtful and serious. In the case of this sculpture, the artist himself has said that it is a blend between himself, Edvard Munch and Munch's portrait of the writer Hans Jaeger.
The Norwegian donor of the artwork, Johan H. Andresen, made this reflection about the meaning of the artwork in relation to its placement at 91Ô´´: "I think it says that it's okay to just sit down. To sit down and let your thoughts flow. To reflect, create scenarios, daydream — in short, just be present in your very own life, or in a life not yet lived."
Henry's sculptures turn inward into themselves, and while their expressions are often ambiguous or difficult to interpret, they always have a tremendous psychological presence. And they are never quite like us — the proportions are shifted so that the figures are either too large or too small. The completely realistic depiction does not interest Henry — something must be changed in order to create tension.
Seated Figure has also been shown on Oxley Bank at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, UK, alongside artworks by artists such as Barbara Hepworth, Henry Moore and Jaume Plensa.
Sean Henry was born in 1965 in Woking, Surrey, and lives and works in Hampshire, Great Britain. He graduated from Bristol School of Art and Design in 1987.
Some of Henry's public artworks include Walking Man in Holland Park, London (2000) and Walking Woman (2013) in Ekebergparken in Oslo, Norway. In 2008 he made Couple, a 13-meter-high and 20-meter-wide sculpture located in the sea off the coast of Northumberland, UK, followed by Standing Man in Stockholm in 2010 (outside Blå Porten at Djurgården).
Seated Figure is cast in painted bronze, edition of 5. Sean Henry is represented by GAS Gallery.
Seated Figure is a donation by Johan H. Andresen/Ferd AS.