Reclining figures, seen anew at Beelden aan Zee

Reclining can take many forms in sculpture. In the South Gallery of Museum Beelden aan Zee in The Hague, Reclining Figures explores that motif through modern and contemporary works. The exhibition opened on 27 June and closes on Sunday 25 October 2026. After Friday 16 October, the exhibition remains on view for a little over a week.

The museum describes the reclining figure as a motif associated since antiquity with rest, reflection and the space around the body. In modern art, Henry Moore gave it a new interpretation: the human form and the landscape meet in his work. The gallery places his approach alongside abstract and figurative variations. It is an opportunity to see how a single pose can produce very different spatial forms.

Alongside Moore, the museum names Charlotte van Pallandt, Mimmo Paladino and Hans Opdebeeck. Each uses a distinct form, material or technique. Rather than surveying one artist, the exhibition compares works around a recurring visual idea. On its website, the museum mentions Moore’s Two piece reclining figure no. 4 from 1961 and Paladino’s Uomo e Coccodrillo from 1994, among other works.

For a closer look, visitors can open a background essay by curator Dick van Broekhuizen from the exhibition page. He is head of Collections and Research and, according to the museum, writes about the history of the reclining figure. The essay may help you return to differences of body, volume and surroundings after seeing the works. It adds to the visit without being required reading.

The museum is open from 10 am to 3 pm on Friday 16 October; its regular Tuesday to Sunday hours are 10 am to 5 pm. Anyone arriving in Scheveningen late that afternoon will find it closed. The address is Harteveltstraat 1, 2586 EL The Hague.

The ticket page lists admission at €22 for adults, €9.25 for visitors aged 13 to 18, and free entry for children up to and including age 12. The same page says the museum is wheelchair accessible; one companion per wheelchair user may enter free of charge. The explicitly listed €3.50 Museumkaart supplement applies to the separate Rui Chafes X Alberto Giacometti exhibition. It should not automatically be attributed to Reclining Figures.

A useful order is to read the exhibition page first and then book for the right part of the day. The last day is 25 October. Anyone wanting more time in the gallery could choose a regular opening day instead of the shortened Friday 16 October. The museum’s exhibition photographs carry separate rights held by artists and photographers. The images here therefore show only the outside of Museum Beelden aan Zee; they are not views of the South Gallery display.