Henry Moore (1898-1986) is arguably one of the most famous and beloved sculptors of the twentieth century, yet in recent decades his work has fallen out of favor in the world of contemporary art criticism. This handsome book examines this intriguing contradiction and seeks to reassess Moore's crucial contribution to art of the last century. Looking at Moore's early engagements with primitivism, his 1930s dialogue with abstraction and surrealism, and his postwar interest in large-scale public sculpture, the authors show how the sculptor helped to define some of the most significant aspects of modernism. The authors also contextualize within the polemics of early modernism Moore's emphasis on direct carving instead of modeling and the necessary balance between abstraction and what he called the "psychological human element". Moore's early sculpture -- largely unfamiliar to the general public -- is given particular attention, enabling the reader to explore the evolution of thematic and formal elements in his work and his ongoing response to different materials. Photographs, some by Moore himself, of over 120 works, including plasters, maquettes, carvings, bronzes, and drawings, are featured, many of which are previously unpublished.

In February 1972 Henry Moores sculpture studios in the English countryside at Much Hadham were filled with the preparations for his retrospective exhibition in Florence. In search of peace and quiet, he went into a smaller room overlooking the fields where a local farmer grazed his sheep. The sheep came very close to the window, attracting his attention, and he began to draw them. Initially he saw them as nothing more than four-legged balls of wool, but his vision changed as he explored what they were really like the way they moved, the shape of their bodies under the fleece. They also developed strong human and biblical associations, and the sight of a ewe with her lamb evoked the mother-and-child theme a large form sheltering a small one which has been important to Henry Moore in all his work. He drew the sheep again that summer after they were shorn, when he could see the shapes of the bodies which had been covered by wool. Solid in form, sudden and vigorous in movement, Henry Moores sheep are created through a network of swirling and zigzagging lines in the rapid (and in Moores hands) sensitive medium of ballpoint pen. The effect is both familiar and monumental; as Lord Clark comments, We expect Henry Moore to give a certain nobility to everything he draws; but more surprising is the way in which these drawings express a feeling of real affection for their subject.

Accompanies the exhibition co-organized by the Yale Center for British Art, New Haven, shown June 5-September 13, 2020, the Hepworth, Wakefield, shown February 7-May 3, 2020, and the Sainsbury Center, University of East Anglia, shown November 22, 2020-February 28, 2021.

"...suddenly the most commonplace objects came to have for me such significance that they no longer existed as just objects, but as shape and form in space."--Henry Moore. One of the world's greatest sculptors and a renowned photographer--close friends for thirty years--combine forces to provide insight into what makes a great creative artist. Part personal history and part stunning presentation of Moore's work and inspirations, striking photographs show his major sculptures and collected art, as well as the landscape and natural forms that indelibly influenced him. Compare Moore's own sculpted masks with the African and Mexican tribal pieces he so admires, or his figures--filled with energy--with Hedgecoe's nude studies. Close-ups focus in on small, fine details. Plus: a treasured glimpse of Moore in his workshop. 208 pages (16 in color), 230 b/w illus., 8 1/8 x 11 3/8.

Coinciding with the fortieth anniversary of the Henry Moore Foundation, and accompanying an exhibition of the same name, Becoming Henry Moore tells the story of the artist's creative journey between 1914 and 1930, from gifted schoolboy to celebrated sculptor. Displaying artistic skill and ambition from a young age, Moore spent his early years studying the art of the past and of his contemporaries, absorbing a wide variety of sculptural ideas and forms as he developed his own individual and now iconic style. Sebastiano Barassi presents a lively account of this formative period, from Moore's time at Castleford Secondary School, where his talent was first spotted, through his active service in the First World War and student life at Leeds School of Art, and culminating with his move to the Royal College of Art in London and subsequent entry into the world of contemporary sculpture. What is revealed is a rich story of friendships, mentors, collectors and a range of artistic influences, from classical and non-Western art to Renaissance and modern masters and dialogues with other leading figures from the British and European avant-gardes. Moore's encounters with collections both public and private and the importance of ancient art in his development are brought to life by contributions from Tania Moore and Jon Wood, who show not only how these experiences were critical in the formation of the artist's early style, but also how they continued to inform his work for the rest of his career. Richly illustrated with sculptures, drawings and photographs from his life, and including a chronology of the early years, this book shows the myriad influences at play as Henry Moore took his first steps on the path to becoming Britain's foremost modern sculptor.