Henry Moore was a pre-eminent British artist of the 20th century, born in 1898 in Castleford, a mining town in Yorkshire, England. After training as a teacher and serving in the British Army, he studied at the Leeds School of Art and the Royal College of Art in London. His oeuvre symbolised post-war modernism, achieving global fame during his lifetime and sparking an unprecedented sculptural renaissance in Great Britain.
Renowned for his focus on the exploration of void and structure, he believed that the empty space was just as important as the form itself, and he often left voids in his sculptures to allow light and air to interact with them. He challenged traditional conventions and explored new ways of representing the human body. His work is considered a fusion between modernism and primitivism.
Henry Moore's body of work is highly varied, encompassing a wide range of artistic mediums and techniques. In addition to his sculptures, he created drawings, etchings, lithographs, and textile designs. His drawings and paintings are an important part of his artistic legacy and reflect his deep interest in nature and organic forms. The artist made several sketches and drawings before creating each sculpture; these are paramount to his creative process and are considered works of art in their own right. His influences were varied, ranging from Pre-Columbian art and the paintings of Masaccio and Michelangelo to the aerodynamic forms of Constantin Brancusi.
Moore stood out for his ability to contrast concave and convex volumes, utilising negative space in an innovative manner to create a sense of movement and energy in his works. His legacy endures, and he is recognised as one of the most important sculptors of the 20th century.
He received major commissions across the globe, such as the Reclining Figure for the UNESCO building in Paris in 1957. He was awarded countless prizes and honours. He continued working until his death in 1986 and was interred at St Paul’s Cathedral in London, where an extraordinary sculpture of his authorship, the Madonna and Child, is housed.
