Sean Henry's 'Walking Woman' & 'Man With Cup' - Atlas Obscura

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'Walking Woman' & 'Man With Cup'

Two larger-than-life Sean Henry sculptures blend in with the people of Colchester's high street. 

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Taking inspiration from Alberto Giacometti and Lucian Freud, British artist Sean Henry specializes in sculpting lifelike clay and bronze human figures. Two of Henry’s sculptures, a man and a woman, can be seen on High Street in Colchester, England, a city around 60 miles northeast of London. Walking Woman portrays a larger-than-life, seven-foot-tall woman in a black turtleneck and long trousers.

Adjacent to a nearby department store, in an alleyway, is Henry’s Man With Cup. This sculpture portrays a businessman on a high ledge with a coffee cup in hand. Henry sculpted Man With Cup in 2017 and Walking Woman in 2019. Four other casts of Henry’s Walking Woman are installed in London, Woking, Oslo, and Bad Homburg, Germany.

In 1987, Henry graduated with a degree in ceramics from Bristol Polytechnic. He explored other mediums, such as fired clay and oil paint. In the late 1980s, Henry worked alongside artists Tony Natsoulas and Robert Arneson in the United States.

Recognition for Henry’s artistry includes commissions for the Royal British Legion’s 70th anniversary in 1996 and the Villiers David Foundation Prize in 1998. The Barbican Centre featured some of Henry’s works, such as Atlantic Crossings, in prominent exhibitions.

Know Before You Go

The statues are a 22-minute walk from the Colchester train station and a 12-minute walk from the Colchester Town train station.


The "Walking Woman" can be found using the following coordinates: 51.8896968, 0.8980368. Henry's "Man With Cup" is located around the corner at: 51.8896248, 0.8978702.

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