Henry Moore

Castleford (England), 1898 – Much Hadham (England), 1986

Henry Spencer Moore was born on 30 July 1898 in Castleford, a small town in Yorkshire, England. He was the seventh of eight children in a working-class family. From an early age, Moore showed an interest in art, influenced by his mother and his primary school teacher, who encouraged him to pursue his artistic inclinations. In 1919, after serving in the British Army during the First World War, Moore received a scholarship to study at the Leeds School of Art. It was there that he began to explore sculpture, influenced by artists such as Michelangelo and Rodin. Two years later, in 1921, Moore won a scholarship to study at the Royal College of Art in London. During his time at the Royal College, Moore deepened his knowledge and skills in sculpture, and began to develop his own distinctive style. Throughout the 1920s, Moore experimented with different techniques and materials, and his works began to be recognised in the art world. In 1928, he had his first solo exhibition at the Warren Gallery in London. That same year, Moore married Irina Radetsky, a Russian painter and dancer. The 1930s were a period of great artistic development for Moore. In 1931, he was appointed as a sculpture instructor at the Chelsea School of Art. During this decade, his work began to reflect a greater influence from natural forms and pre-Columbian sculptures. His pieces were characterised by organic abstraction and experimentation with hollow forms and the interaction between mass and space. During the Second World War, Moore worked as an official war artist, producing a series of poignant drawings that documented Londoners sheltering in the Underground during the bombings. These drawings, known as the “Shelter Drawings”, significantly increased his reputation. After the war, Moore achieved international recognition. In 1948, he won the first prize at the Venice Biennale, which cemented his status as one of the most important sculptors of his time. In the following decades, Moore received numerous public commissions, including his famous “Reclining Figure” for the UNESCO building in Paris in 1958. Moore continued to work prolifically during the 1960s and 70s, producing some of his most iconic pieces. In 1977, he established the Henry Moore Foundation to promote education and appreciation of the arts. Henry Moore passed away on 31 August 1986 at his home in Much Hadham, Hertfordshire. His legacy endures not only through his sculptures, which can be found in museums and public spaces around the world, but also through his influence on generations of artists. His innovative approach to sculpture, combining abstraction and representation, remains a cornerstone in the history of modern art.