Art Talk: England: Henry Moore at the Tate Britain

Henry Moore

I have been a long time fan of Henry Moore. In 2008, I became a serious fan and travel from Arizona to New York City to attend a Henry Moore show at the New York Botanical Garden. Over the years I have seen his sculptures in many cities that I have visited, especially DC. This summer, while in England, I got to see the extensive collection of Henry Moore art at the Tate Britain and at the Henry Moore's Estate in Hertfordshire. That was a dream come true.... and another post (s).

Henry Moore was born in 1889 in Yorkshire, England. He went to art school at the same time as Barbara Hepworth, another English sculptor I really like. He was married to Irina and had one daughter, Mary. He moved to Hertfordshire and lived and worked until he died in 1986.

Below are five stunning pieces that Henry Moore made in the 1950s and 1960s, that I saw at the Tate Britain.

Reclining Figure
Draped Seated Woman
King and Queen
Mother and Child
Atom Piece

Reclining Figure

One of Henry Moore's most consistent themes is the human form.

Henry Moore
Reclining Figure, 1951
Tate Britain, London, England

I was so excited to see this piece in person. Especially after watching this Smarthistory video.

I was able to see the lines and the eyes, and the unique hands and feet and the two breasts. It is a fascinating piece. One of the things I like best about sculpture is the ability to walk around it and see it from different angles, it is like seeing a whole different piece.

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This piece is the plaster cast for the bronze called Reclining Figure: Festival which was made for the 1951 Festival of Britain and is now located at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art. I really like the white plaster. It gives the color and look of bone.

Draped Seated Woman

Reclining figure is made from plaster and string. Here is another figure, Draped Seated Woman in the same room made of bronze. There was a bench near by and I saw with her for a bit. I even talked to her.

Henry Moore
Draped Seated Woman, 1957-8
Tate Britain, London, England

King and Queen

The King and Queen, one of my favorite Henry Moore pieces. He made this piece around the same time as the coronation of Queen Elizabeth.

Henry Moore
King and Queen, 1952-3
Tate Britain, London, England

Here are pictures of King and Queen I've taken through the years at the Hirshhorn Gallery in DC. I think I am attracted to this sculpture because they are a parental figure couple and in a way remind me of my parents.

Henry Moore
Mother and Child, 1953
Tate Britain, London, England

While in England I saw many of Henry Moore's sculptures that centered on the family. Family group in Harlow, Madonna and Child at St. Paul's Cathedral, Mother and Child with Apple at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge.

Family group in Harlow	Madonna and Child at St. Paul's Cathedral	Mother and Child with Apple at the Fitzwilliam Museum

This piece is so surprising! The child is being held by the neck to stop it from feeding at the mother's breast. The sharp points of the child's head make it look like a vicious creature. The mother also looks a bit menacing with her sharp pointy face.

What do you think about this piece? If you are a mother have you felt this way?

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This is a small scale working model for a commission that Henry Moore had for a sculpture for the University of Chicago for the 25th anniversary of the nuclear energy.

It (the sculpture) sits on a square, granite paved, concrete platform at the spot where the Manhattan Project team built a nuclear reactor to produce the first self-sustaining controlled nuclear reaction, under the now-demolished west stands of the old Stagg Field. ¹

Henry Moore was one of the most famous artists of the 20th century, as evidenced by his commissions, like this one all around the world.

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He was a fantastic drawer too.

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What a treat to get to see so many of Henry Moore's art works up close and personal. He really is quite and extraordinary artist that makes me pause and think.

What is that?
How does that make me feel?

What do you think?

Sources:
1- Nuclear Energy (scultpure)

Henry Moore, Tate Britain
Reclining Figure: Tate Britain
Reclining Figure: Festival
Mother and Child: Tate Britain
Atom Piece: Tate Britain