Henry Moore

Works Exhibited

Henry Moore, Tube Shelter Perspective, 1941. Pencil, wax crayon, colored wax crayon, gouache, and watercolor wash on paper, 11 ⅛ × 9 ⅛ inches (28.2 × 23.2 cm), Henry Moore Foundation, Perry Green, England Reproduced by permission of the Henry Moore Foundation — Henry Moore
*Tube Shelter Perspective*, 1941
Pencil, wax crayon, colored wax crayon, gouache, and watercolor wash on paper, 11 ⅛ × 9 ⅛ inches (28.2 × 23.2 cm), Henry Moore Foundation, Perry Green, England
Reproduced by permission of the Henry Moore Foundation

Henry Moore, Reclining Figure, 1945 (cast 1962). Bronze, 3 ⅝ × 6 ⅛ × 2 ⅞ inches (9.1 × 15.5 × 7.2 cm) Reproduced by permission of the Henry Moore Foundation — Henry Moore
*Reclining Figure*, 1945 (cast 1962)
Bronze, 3 ⅝ × 6 ⅛ × 2 ⅞ inches (9.1 × 15.5 × 7.2 cm)
Reproduced by permission of the Henry Moore Foundation

Henry Moore, Family Group, 1948–49. Bronze, 59 ¾ × 44 ½ × 29 ¾ inches (152 × 113 × 76 cm), Museum of Modern Art, New York Reproduced by permission of the Henry Moore Foundation. Photo: © The Museum of Modern Art/Licensed by SCALA/Art Resource, New York — Henry Moore
*Family Group*, 1948–49
Bronze, 59 ¾ × 44 ½ × 29 ¾ inches (152 × 113 × 76 cm), Museum of Modern Art, New York
Reproduced by permission of the Henry Moore Foundation. Photo: © The Museum of Modern Art/Licensed by SCALA/Art Resource, New York

Henry Moore, Reclining Figure: Festival, 1951. Bronze, 41 ¾ × 90 × 29 inches (106 × 228.6 × 73.7 cm), cast d from an edition of 5 + 1 AP, Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh Reproduced by permission of the Henry Moore Foundation — Henry Moore
*Reclining Figure: Festival*, 1951
Bronze, 41 ¾ × 90 × 29 inches (106 × 228.6 × 73.7 cm), cast d from an edition of 5 + 1 AP, Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh
Reproduced by permission of the Henry Moore Foundation

Henry Moore, King and Queen, 1952–53 (cast 1957). Bronze, 64 ⅜ × 54 ½ × 33 ¼ inches (163.5 × 138.5 × 84.5 cm), Tate Britain, London Reproduced by permission of the Henry Moore Foundation — Henry Moore
*King and Queen*, 1952–53 (cast 1957)
Bronze, 64 ⅜ × 54 ½ × 33 ¼ inches (163.5 × 138.5 × 84.5 cm), Tate Britain, London
Reproduced by permission of the Henry Moore Foundation

Henry Moore, UNESCO Reclining Figure, 1957–58. Roman travertine marble, 13 feet 1 ½ inches × 16 feet 4 ⅞ inches × 9 feet 4 ¼ inches (400 × 500 × 285 cm), UNESCO, Paris Reproduced by permission of the Henry Moore Foundation — Henry Moore
*UNESCO Reclining Figure*, 1957–58
Roman travertine marble, 13 feet 1 ½ inches × 16 feet 4 ⅞ inches × 9 feet 4 ¼ inches (400 × 500 × 285 cm), UNESCO, Paris
Reproduced by permission of the Henry Moore Foundation

Henry Moore, Upright Motive No. 1: Glenkiln Cross, 1955–56. Bronze, 132 ⅛ × 38 ⅜ × 38 inches (335.5 × 97.4 × 96.6 cm), Keswick Estate, Dumfries, Scotland Reproduced by permission of the Henry Moore Foundation. Photo: Doug Simpson — Henry Moore
*Upright Motive No. 1: Glenkiln Cross*, 1955–56
Bronze, 132 ⅛ × 38 ⅜ × 38 inches (335.5 × 97.4 × 96.6 cm), Keswick Estate, Dumfries, Scotland
Reproduced by permission of the Henry Moore Foundation. Photo: Doug Simpson

Henry Moore, Working Model for Reclining Figure (Lincoln Center), 1963–65. Bronze, 96 × 138 × 68 inches (243.8 × 350.5 × 172.7 cm), cast b from an edition of 2, List Visual Arts Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge Reproduced by permission of the Henry Moore Foundation. Photo: Charles Mayer — Henry Moore
*Working Model for Reclining Figure (Lincoln Center)*, 1963–65
Bronze, 96 × 138 × 68 inches (243.8 × 350.5 × 172.7 cm), cast b from an edition of 2, List Visual Arts Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
Reproduced by permission of the Henry Moore Foundation. Photo: Charles Mayer

Henry Moore, Large Two Forms, 1966. Bronze, 141 ¾ × 240 ¼ × 171 ⅜ inches (360 × 610 × 435 cm), edition of 4 Reproduced by permission of the Henry Moore Foundation. Photo: Mike Bruce — Henry Moore
*Large Two Forms*, 1966
Bronze, 141 ¾ × 240 ¼ × 171 ⅜ inches (360 × 610 × 435 cm), edition of 4
Reproduced by permission of the Henry Moore Foundation. Photo: Mike Bruce

Henry Moore, Three Piece Sculpture: Vertebrae, 1968–69. Bronze, 110 ¼ × 279 ½ × 139 ⅞ inches (280 × 710 × 355 cm), edition of 3 + 1 AP, Henry Moore Foundation, Perry Green, England Reproduced by permission of the Henry Moore Foundation. Photo: Mike Bruce — Henry Moore
*Three Piece Sculpture: Vertebrae*, 1968–69
Bronze, 110 ¼ × 279 ½ × 139 ⅞ inches (280 × 710 × 355 cm), edition of 3 + 1 AP, Henry Moore Foundation, Perry Green, England
Reproduced by permission of the Henry Moore Foundation. Photo: Mike Bruce

Henry Moore, Mother and Child with Tree Trunk, 1979. Bronze, 8 ¾ × 10 ¼ × 6 ½ inches (22 × 26.1 × 16.5 cm) Reproduced by permission of the Henry Moore Foundation. Photo: Jaron James — Henry Moore
*Mother and Child with Tree Trunk*, 1979
Bronze, 8 ¾ × 10 ¼ × 6 ½ inches (22 × 26.1 × 16.5 cm)
Reproduced by permission of the Henry Moore Foundation. Photo: Jaron James

Henry Moore, Monumental Arch in Landscape, c. 1982. Charcoal, watercolor, pastel, and chalk on paper, 7 ⅝ × 10 ⅞ inches (19.3 × 27.4 cm) Reproduced by permission of the Henry Moore Foundation — Henry Moore
*Monumental Arch in Landscape*, c. 1982
Charcoal, watercolor, pastel, and chalk on paper, 7 ⅝ × 10 ⅞ inches (19.3 × 27.4 cm)
Reproduced by permission of the Henry Moore Foundation

Henry Moore, Large Reclining Figure, 1983–84. Bronze, 13 feet 9 ⅜ inches × 30 feet 10 ⅛ inches × 9 feet 6 ⅛ inches (420 × 940 × 290 cm), AP 1/1 + edition of 1, Henry Moore Foundation, Perry Green, England Reproduced by permission of the Henry Moore Foundation — Henry Moore
*Large Reclining Figure*, 1983–84
Bronze, 13 feet 9 ⅜ inches × 30 feet 10 ⅛ inches × 9 feet 6 ⅛ inches (420 × 940 × 290 cm), AP 1/1 + edition of 1, Henry Moore Foundation, Perry Green, England
Reproduced by permission of the Henry Moore Foundation

Henry Moore, Mother and Child, 1984. Charcoal, pencil, wax crayon, chinagraph, chalk, and watercolor on paper, 7 × 10 ⅛ inches (17.7 × 25.7 cm) Reproduced by permission of the Henry Moore Foundation — Henry Moore
*Mother and Child*, 1984
Charcoal, pencil, wax crayon, chinagraph, chalk, and watercolor on paper, 7 × 10 ⅛ inches (17.7 × 25.7 cm)
Reproduced by permission of the Henry Moore Foundation

Thumbnail - Henry Moore, Head, 1939 (cast 1968). Bronze and string, 5 ½ × 5 ⅛ × 2 ⅞ inches (13.8 × 12.9 × 7.1 cm) Reproduced by permission of the Henry Moore Foundation. Photo: Sarah Mercer

Thumbnail - Henry Moore, Tube Shelter Perspective, 1941. Pencil, wax crayon, colored wax crayon, gouache, and watercolor wash on paper, 11 ⅛ × 9 ⅛ inches (28.2 × 23.2 cm), Henry Moore Foundation, Perry Green, England Reproduced by permission of the Henry Moore Foundation

Thumbnail - Henry Moore, Reclining Figure, 1945 (cast 1962). Bronze, 3 ⅝ × 6 ⅛ × 2 ⅞ inches (9.1 × 15.5 × 7.2 cm) Reproduced by permission of the Henry Moore Foundation

Thumbnail - Henry Moore, Family Group, 1948–49. Bronze, 59 ¾ × 44 ½ × 29 ¾ inches (152 × 113 × 76 cm), Museum of Modern Art, New York Reproduced by permission of the Henry Moore Foundation. Photo: © The Museum of Modern Art/Licensed by SCALA/Art Resource, New York

Thumbnail - Henry Moore, Reclining Figure: Festival, 1951. Bronze, 41 ¾ × 90 × 29 inches (106 × 228.6 × 73.7 cm), cast d from an edition of 5 + 1 AP, Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh Reproduced by permission of the Henry Moore Foundation

Thumbnail - Henry Moore, King and Queen, 1952–53 (cast 1957). Bronze, 64 ⅜ × 54 ½ × 33 ¼ inches (163.5 × 138.5 × 84.5 cm), Tate Britain, London Reproduced by permission of the Henry Moore Foundation

Thumbnail - Henry Moore, UNESCO Reclining Figure, 1957–58. Roman travertine marble, 13 feet 1 ½ inches × 16 feet 4 ⅞ inches × 9 feet 4 ¼ inches (400 × 500 × 285 cm), UNESCO, Paris Reproduced by permission of the Henry Moore Foundation

Thumbnail - Henry Moore, Upright Motive No. 1: Glenkiln Cross, 1955–56. Bronze, 132 ⅛ × 38 ⅜ × 38 inches (335.5 × 97.4 × 96.6 cm), Keswick Estate, Dumfries, Scotland Reproduced by permission of the Henry Moore Foundation. Photo: Doug Simpson

Thumbnail - Henry Moore, Working Model for Reclining Figure (Lincoln Center), 1963–65. Bronze, 96 × 138 × 68 inches (243.8 × 350.5 × 172.7 cm), cast b from an edition of 2, List Visual Arts Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge Reproduced by permission of the Henry Moore Foundation. Photo: Charles Mayer

Thumbnail - Henry Moore, Large Two Forms, 1966. Bronze, 141 ¾ × 240 ¼ × 171 ⅜ inches (360 × 610 × 435 cm), edition of 4 Reproduced by permission of the Henry Moore Foundation. Photo: Mike Bruce

Thumbnail - Henry Moore, Three Piece Sculpture: Vertebrae, 1968–69. Bronze, 110 ¼ × 279 ½ × 139 ⅞ inches (280 × 710 × 355 cm), edition of 3 + 1 AP, Henry Moore Foundation, Perry Green, England Reproduced by permission of the Henry Moore Foundation. Photo: Mike Bruce

Thumbnail - Henry Moore, Mother and Child with Tree Trunk, 1979. Bronze, 8 ¾ × 10 ¼ × 6 ½ inches (22 × 26.1 × 16.5 cm) Reproduced by permission of the Henry Moore Foundation. Photo: Jaron James

Thumbnail - Henry Moore, Monumental Arch in Landscape, c. 1982. Charcoal, watercolor, pastel, and chalk on paper, 7 ⅝ × 10 ⅞ inches (19.3 × 27.4 cm) Reproduced by permission of the Henry Moore Foundation

Thumbnail - Henry Moore, Large Reclining Figure, 1983–84. Bronze, 13 feet 9 ⅜ inches × 30 feet 10 ⅛ inches × 9 feet 6 ⅛ inches (420 × 940 × 290 cm), AP 1/1 + edition of 1, Henry Moore Foundation, Perry Green, England Reproduced by permission of the Henry Moore Foundation

Thumbnail - Henry Moore, Mother and Child, 1984. Charcoal, pencil, wax crayon, chinagraph, chalk, and watercolor on paper, 7 × 10 ⅛ inches (17.7 × 25.7 cm) Reproduced by permission of the Henry Moore Foundation

About

A giant of modernism, Henry Moore engaged the abstract, the surreal, the ancient, and the classical in corporeal forms and organic images—in conjunction with natural found objects such as bones and stones—that are at once accessible and avant-garde. His sculptures, with their imposing physicality combined with pierced forms and hollow spaces, promote a charged interaction between the work, its site, and the viewer. Moore’s oeuvre celebrated humanist themes at a time when traditional representation was largely eschewed by the vanguard art establishment.

Moore was born in 1898 in the English mining town of Castleford, near Leeds. After teaching at Castleford Grammar School, he fought in the First World War and, on his return from France in 1919, enrolled at Leeds School of Art, where he was joined by fellow artist Barbara Hepworth. He won a scholarship to study at the Royal College of Art, London, from 1921 to 1924, and while there, he made Mother and Child (1922), his first sculpture on a subject that would fascinate him throughout his life. He also received traveling scholarships to Paris (1923) and Italy (1925). Afterward, Moore taught in London, first at the Royal Academy Schools from 1924 to 1932, and then at Chelsea School of Art from 1932 to 1939.

Moore was innovative from the beginning of his career. For instance, in 1922 he used an experimental pen, ink, chalk, and wash combination in Standing Nude Girl, One Arm Raised, and in 1926 he employed cast concrete, a material that was largely confined to architecture at the time, to create Head of a Woman. Moore achieved early success. His debut solo exhibition was held at the Warren Gallery, London, in 1928. That same year, he completed his first public commission, installed at the headquarters of the London Underground. During the 1930s, Moore absorbed the influence of artists such as Alberto Giacometti, Pablo Picasso, and the Surrealists, and so developed a more abstract approach to his own practice. In 1938 he met Sir Kenneth Clark, who became a significant early supporter of his work.