A sculpture by acclaimed artist Henry Moore has arrived at its new temporary home it Kew Gardens, ahead of a major exhibition of his work.
Reclining Woman: Elbow had been a familiar landmark outside Leeds Art Gallery for more than 40 years, but was removed earlier this year to be loaned to Henry Moore: Monumental Nature at Kew Gardens.
The 7ft 3in (2.21m) long bronze figure will feature among more than 100 pieces set throughout the gardens, in what will be the largest outdoor exhibition of Moore’s work ever presented.
Art historian Ferren Gibson told the BBC the scuplture was meaningful because people are drawn to the “human condition” and the exhibition will be a chance to see it from a different angle.
“There’s something really attractive about the organic nature of his work”, she added.
Beginning on Saturday, the exhibition will celebrate how nature shaped the imagination of Moore, who is considered one of Britain’s greatest sculptors.
Born in Castleford, Moore, who died in 1986, studied at the Leeds School of Art and his formative experiences of the Yorkshire landscape provided an enduring influence on his work.
Moore’s pieces are abstract, large and at times imposing. Another recurring motif is that of mother and child.
Gibson said: “He blows them up to this great scale and suddenly you’re thinking about things you encounter all the time, but in a different way.
“Maybe it looks like a bone, but it’s also a person – that’s quite interesting.”
Mary Moore said her father was interested in the ‘darkness and lightness’ of life [BBC]
The exhibition will run until January 2027 and will “blur the boundaries between sculpture and living form” , according to Kew Gardens.
There will also be a smaller indoor exhibition at the Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art, including some of Moore’s drawings, models and sketchbooks.
Moore’s daughter Mary Moore told the BBC her father expressed both the “darkness and lightness” of life in his work, especially after the horrors of serving in World War One.
“If you take away a feeling from scuplture, it’s about what it is to be human,” she added.
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