Lady Hare sculpture takes over Berkeley Square

A sculpture, depicting the body of a woman, with the head of a hare, is now on display for all to view in Berkeley Square in Westminster.

The incredible piece is designed by Sophie Ryder, who is known for her hybrids and mythological figures. Lady Hare is a very personal sculpture to Sophie as it is modelled on her own body.  

The sculpture was created in 1999 and was handmade from wet plaster, old machine parts and scavenged toys then cast in bronze to capture the unique textures. Sophie is famous for her large-scale outdoor sculptures which can be seen all over the world and ‘Crawling’ is one of her earlier pieces.

Discussing her art work, Sophie said: “To me it encompasses so many emotions. The lady is strong and confident and she is moving along which makes one wonder ‘where is she going?’”

“Sculpture should adapt to its surroundings and be good from every angle. Crawling does all of that in my opinion and so she is a piece I am incredibly proud of.”

The sculpture forms part of the council’s City of Sculpture programme which brings sculpture to iconic outdoor locations across the City of Westminster.

Cllr Matthew Green, Westminster City Council Cabinet Member for Business and Planning, said: “Westminster is home to world-class culture, however with the doors of our museums and galleries still closed, I'm pleased to be able to showcase this ambitious piece of art in one of our most quintessential public squares.

"At this time, more than ever, we need to see beautiful things. I hope that this small taste of Westminster's unrivalled cultural offer will inspire our residents and visitors while evoking optimism for the future.”

Westminster City Council is always looking for new exciting sculptures to be placed around the borough, for more information, visit: www.westminster.gov.uk/city-sculpture

A new panel made up of, Melissa Blanchflower, Curator for Serpentine Galleries; Claire Mander, Director and Curator at theCoLAB and Tim Eastop from Arts on the Waterways, will consider the applications made.