Art

Andrew Ginner with 'Two Piece Reclining Figure No 5' (1963-4)

‘Two Piece Reclining Figure No 5’ (1963-4)
Andrew Ginner, visitor liaison officer for Kenwood House
‘I’ve been doing this job at Kenwood for six years; essentially it’s about liaising between management and the local community on issues to do with the maintenance of the grounds – including conservation and wildlife. The Moore sculpture is just west of Kenwood House. It was made in 1963-4 but it’s been here on long-term loan from the Tate since 1982. I probably pass it most days. My grandmother introduced me to Henry Moore’s work. I’ve always drawn and I particularly like his sketchbook of sheep, but I didn’t really understand his more abstract figures. Being around the sculpture here has given me more of an understanding, although sometimes I still think it would be good if the head and the torso were reunited. I’ve drawn the sculpture for a map that we produced for the public for Valentine’s Day, suggesting a romantic walking trail. It’s a sculpture that sparks the imagination, and I like its very particular iridescent green hue. Moore felt strongly that the sculpture should be in a landscape setting surrounded by light and air and because he lived nearby in Hampstead it’s even more appropriate to have it here.’
Kenwood House, Hampstead Lane, NW3 (020 8348 1286) Highgate tube. Feature continues

Dr Frank Kelly with 'Working Model for Reclining Figure (Lincoln Center)' )1963-5)

‘Working Model for Reclining Figure (Lincoln Center)’ (1963-5)
Dr Frank Kelly, consultant psychiatrist and clinical director for the West London Mental Health Trust, outside Charing Cross Hospital
‘I think it’s a very interesting sculpture, although quite difficult to see as a reclining figure. It looks to me as if it might have been based on anatomical models of bones, which is quite appropriate for the location. It sits in a shallow pool and apparently Moore chose the site specifically. I’ve been at the hospital for the past nine years, but I studied here originally and remember the sculpture from my student days. Now I see it every day. Most people who come into the building will walk past it and our patients in the Mental Health Trust are certainly familiar with it, but I expect a lot of people don’t realise that it’s a Henry Moore. I think it’s incredibly important to have artwork in hospitals. It enhances the environment and the patients enjoy it and are stimulated by it. And art groups are an important part of our patient activities at the Mental Health Trust because for some people it’s easier to express themselves through art than words. I sit on the hospital’s arts committee. We have our own reasonably valuable collection and although the Moore is actually a long-term loan from the Tate, it feels very much part of the hospital.’
Charing Cross Hospital, Fulham Palace Rd, W6. Hammersmith tube.

Catherine Davies with 'Three Standing Figures' (1947)

Three Standing Figures (1947)
Catherine Davies, events co-ordinator for the Pump House Gallery, Battersea Park
‘I’ve been working here for nine years and my job mainly involves organising weddings, which are held in the gallery at weekends. The sculpture is only five minutes away. As far as I know it came into the park when they held a big sculpture exhibition here in 1951 and has been here ever since. We also have a Barbara Hepworth on the other side of the park. The Moore and Hepworth sculptures are both very popular; students are always coming into the gallery to ask where they are. The Moore looks particularly beautiful in the spring when all the daffodils and crocuses are out. The stone has a lovely, almost mushroom colour and a very smooth but also a very tactile surface. It’s in a particularly romantic area too, overlooking the lake, so I mention it to couples when they’re deciding where to take their wedding photographs. I think people do take the sculptures for granted but they would really notice if they were gone, so I hope that they stay. Being photographed with the Moore has made me feel closer to it in a way. It’s part of the park and because I’ve worked in the park for such a long time it’s also part of me.’
Near the Pump House Gallery, Battersea Park, SW11 (020 7350 0523) Sloane Square tube, then 137 bus or Battersea Park Rail.