Henry Moore (1898-1986) was one of the most important British artists of the twentieth century, and arguably the most internationally celebrated sculptor of this period. Though he turned down a knighthood because he thought it would separate him from fellow artists doing similar work, he accepted other acknowledgements: the British Order of the Companions of Honor and the Order of Merit (for the advancement of culture), and the Dutch Erasmus Prize. He also was a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Philosophical Foundation. In 1948, Moore won the International Sculpture Prize at the Venice Biennale.
Background
Moore was born in Castleford, a small mining town in Yorkshire, in 1898, the seventh of eight children. He was interested in art from an early age, claiming he decided to become a sculptor when he was eleven after hearing of Michelangelo’s achievements at a Sunday School reading.
After a brief tenure as a teacher and service in the British Army during WW I, Moore was accepted into Leeds School of Art (now Leeds University) in 1919. A fellow student and sculptor was Barbara Hepworth, with whom he would continue his friendship and friendly professional rivalry (Moore would adopt Hepworth’s introduction of inserting holes into sculptures). In 1921, Moore won a scholarship to the Royal Academy (RA) where he again studied with Hepworth and other Yorkshire contemporaries. While at the RA, Moore also spent a great deal of time at the British Museum, studying what was then considered ‘primitive art’ and sculpture.
Opposite:
Henry Moore, 'Three Piece Sculpture: Vertebrae' (1968-69), bronze.
Photo Courtesy of:
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