Henry Moore
Reclining Figure, c. 1936-37
Bronze
2 3/4 x 5 1/8 x 2 1/2 in, 7 x 13 x 6.5 cm
Conceived c. 1936-37 and cast in 1959 in an edition of 6
Henry Moore created ‘Reclining Figure’ in the mid-1930s before casting it some twenty years later. As a sculpture from early in Moore’s career, the influence of Surrealism is clear. In...
Henry Moore created ‘Reclining Figure’ in the mid-1930s before casting it some twenty years later. As a sculpture from early in Moore’s career, the influence of Surrealism is clear. In 1930 the artist moved to Paris, and became friends with the Surrealist artists Jean Arp and Joan Miró, taking interest in their use of biomorphic forms, mixing them with Abstraction to create his own unique artistic vocabulary.
Created on an intimate scale, Relining Figure is powerful in its small scale. Negative space is used to carve through the body, creating hollows and giving different perspectives. The surface is both smooth and textured, with the artist’s carving of the cast seen in every stroke.
Created on an intimate scale, Relining Figure is powerful in its small scale. Negative space is used to carve through the body, creating hollows and giving different perspectives. The surface is both smooth and textured, with the artist’s carving of the cast seen in every stroke.
Provenance
Lefevre Gallery, LondonPrivate Collection (purchased at the above)
Private Collection (by descent from above)
Osborne Samuel, London
Exhibitions
London, Lefevre Gallery, Small Bronzes and Drawings by Henry Moore, November - December 1972, no. 1, pp. 8-9, illus.
Literature
A. Bowness, Henry Moore: Complete Sculpture, 1980-1986, Addendum to Volume 1, 1921-48, Vol. VI, London, no. 175a, p. 28, illus. of another cast
This sculpture is recorded with the Henry Moore Foundation under number 2024.73