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Henry Moore (1898 - 1986)

Like so many of the great artists in history, Henry Moore's work was not readily accepted by either the public or the critics. In fact, it took decades for his work to find acclaim and afford him recognition. It was not until Moore's fifties and sixties that his work was highly sought and gigantic exhibitions were put on public display.

Born on July 30, 1898, in the small coal-mining town of Castleford, Yorkshire, England, Henry Spencer Moore was the seventh of eight children. His parents were determined that all of their children would have a proper education and thus avoid the labor of mine work and saw to it that he was enrolled in a proper educational environment.

From the start, Moore showed an interest in art, with his initial works done in wood and clay. It was during this first instruction that a specific teacher influenced him by broadening his knowledge of the art world and helped him form a conscious desire to be a sculptor. Miss Alice Gostick shared her enthusiasm and encouragement, creating an interest that remained a part of Moore for the remainder of his life. In 1910 he attained a "leaving certificate" (graduation diploma). At the urging of his parents, Moore became a student teacher and then a full-time instructor at the same school he had attended as a youth in Castleford.

When he was 16, the First World War began. To honor the students from his school that were marching off to war, Moore was asked to design and carve a relief, his first commissioned work. In 1917, at 18, he enlisted and was sent to France, but soon after was caught in a poisonous gas attack. Moore was sent back home to recover, after which he served the rest of a two-year enlistment by doing physical training instruction. He returned home more mature and eager to take charge of his own destiny.

Moore applied for and was awarded a grant so that he might become the first student of sculpture at Leeds School of Art in September, 1919. Great influences during this time included African carvings, Mexican sculpture and ancient American art. In 1921 he won a scholarship to the Sculpture School of the Royal College of Art in London and was there until 1924. For a period of 20 years, he stayed in the London area where he developed ideas, recording them in notebooks that still survive. These drawings were the foundations of many of the works Moore would later complete.

Early works were classified as romantic, with great connections to landscape and natural forms. A major turning point in Henry Moore's career occurred in 1928, as his remarkable talent was finally recognized when he received his first public commission. In this same year Moore had his first solo exhibition, followed by a second in 1931. In 1929, a marked change began to appear. His individual style employed what he called "truth to materials." At this point, little of his work was understood or appreciated, was considered revolutionary and was rejected by critics. "Primitivism and barbarism" were descriptions used to describe one of his first exhibited sculptures done in stone, 1929 Reclining Figure.

A sale was made to an American gallery, and in 1936 The Museum of Modern Art in New York purchased one of his sculptures, making it his first work on public display in America. This was the point at which he began to employ the rounded, sensuous shapes, undulating extensions and rounded indentations that again mimic the forms of nature. Mother and child themes were his favorite along with family groups, and his most enduring works depict reclining human forms.

Henry Moore married painter Irina Radetsky in 1929. In 1946 a daughter and only child, Mary, was born. During World War II, Moore had moved from London to a country cottage some 40 miles from the city, and over the next few years he worked to remodel it into his home and studios.

By the 1950's, Moore's reputation was flourishing, with his works widely collected in both Europe and America. Until this time, most works were done in wood or stone, but bronze, and later marble, began to be exhibited. His exhibition schedule had grown to an average of 40 exhibits per year, ranging from single-piece entries to huge shows. Much later, in 1972, 289 pieces were shown in Florence, Italy, and over 345,000 visitors viewed the exhibit in the four months it was on display. This exhibit set the standard for all future shows. In 1983 a large retrospective was exhibited at the Met in New York, and in 1986 a huge exhibit was staged in Hong Kong.

Henry Moore continued to work until his death in 1986, at the age of 88. In 1987 Moore was honored posthumously with an exhibit at the National Gallery of Modern Art in New Delhi, India.

Moore was a man who waited decades to be accepted, acknowledged and appreciated, but ended his career by being possibly the most important sculptor in history. Millions of people have seen and enjoyed his work, and many more millions will be able to do so because so many works are on public display.

Henry Moore, the first major retrospective of his work to appear in the U.S. in the past 20 years, is at the National Gallery of Art through January 27th. Approximately 165 full-scale bronzes, maquettes, carvings, plasters, and works on paper spanning Moore's entire career emphasize the artist's role as a sculptor and his involvement with surrealism and early abstract art.

Copyright ARTtalk Vol. 12 No. 3 -- January 2002