The British sculptor Sean Henry is known for his representational human figures in urban environments. Fusing the disciplines of ceramics with those of sculpture, Henry creates a fresh, innovative approach to representing the human figure, helping to revive the long tradition of polychrome sculpture. The sculptor describes the theme of his work as "the tension between the making and staging of figures that seem to belong to the real world - and the degree to which they echo our experiences and sympathies."
In 2007 Henry completed Couple - the UK's first permanent offshore sculpture, a critically acclaimed 13m high and 20m wide painted bronze and steel sculpture located 300 meters off the coast of Northumberland, at Newbiggin Bay, on which the sculpture in Currell Collection is based. Couple signifies the serious cultural and economic investment that was made into Newbiggin-by-the-Sea - the £10m breakwater programme, which saw a 200-metre long breakwater structure constructed 350 metres out into the bay which formed the foundation for the sculpture and its steel pier.
Lit: Sean Henry, seanhenry.com; BBC News, bbc.co.uk
Sean Henry is represented by Osbourne Samuel, www.osbournesamuel.com