Henry Moore and Greece

The Acropolis is wonderful—more marvellous than ever I imagined. . . . it’s the greatest thrill I have ever had.
—Henry Moore, 1951

Gagosian is pleased to announce Henry Moore and Greece, organized in collaboration with the Henry Moore Foundation. Opening September 12, it is the first exhibition of the artist’s work in Greece in twenty years. Featuring a selection of work spanning Moore’s career, it illuminates the artist’s fascination with ancient Greek art, which he developed during a trip to Greece in 1951—a few months before his first retrospective at the Tate, London.

In his early stone and wood carvings, Moore had turned away from classical tradition, deriving inspiration mostly from non-European cultures—for example, African and Mesoamerican art. It was not until the early 1950s, and especially following his 1951 visit to Greece, that his attention became increasingly drawn to Greek art. Modeling in clay or plaster and casting in bronze allowed him to work on a larger scale and to incorporate a greater sense of movement in his sculptures. Fragmentary figures—increasingly male and designed to be seen in the round—show more varied surface treatments than those of his earlier work and often incorporate clinging drapery.