Exhibited: Another casts in the collection at Ribe Kunstmuseum and another at Seminarium, Finsensgade, 8200 Århus N, in 1984.

Hanne Varming’s sculptures grace public spaces throughout Denmark. Her figures blend into their surroundings, such as the “Pigerne fra Paris” sculpture looking across Terminal 3 in Copenhagen airport, or the “Hyldemor” sculpture on Kultorvet in Copenhagen, with just enough room for a passer-by to sit down beside the old couple. Their life-size format makes them unmissable, and they invite interaction with the onlookers milling around them. In Varming’s works, the process itself is an important part of the work and the artistic styling. Clay modelling is key, as she intentionally leaves her imprint in the bronze. She avoids polishing or smoothing; on the contrary, she allows the creative process to shine through. In the rough surface of “To børn. Søskende” she shows the layers of modelling which is characteristic of her style. At the same time it is a recognition and acceptance that we humans are not perfect. In fact, Varming’s works focus on people of all shapes and sizes: small, big, young and old. She shows us the human being and the life behind the form, beneath the bronze. Varming studies under Gottfred Eickhoff and Mogens Bøgild at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. While Varming clearly finds her own style, similarities to Eickhoff and Bøgild are present in her way of shaping the clay. She makes her debut at Charlottenborg’s Spring Exhibition in 1963, and is a member of Kammeraterne from 1974 to 2001, and of Corner from 2001 to 2019. She is recognised as a towering figure of Danish sculpture, and the recipient of numerous grants and awards, including Eckersbergmedaljen in 1988 and Ridderkorset in 2000.