Impressions on Paper

Henry Moore, 'Eight Reclining Figures', 1962, pen, ink and watercolour on paper, 29.2 x 23.3cm, £19,500

 

 

Within our current exhibition, which celebrates works on paper by Contemporary and Modern British artists, we are delighted to include some fifteen works by Henry Moore. 

 

Henry Moore (1898 - 1986) is one of the most significant British artists of the twentieth century. He was injured in World War One, as a soldier, in 1917 by a gas attack during the Battle of Cambrai. In 1919, thanks to an ex-serviceman's grant, Moore became a student at the Leeds School of Art. He went on to attend the Royal College of Art in London in 1921, where he went on to teach.

 

Widely acknowledged as one of the greatest sculptors of the 20th century and as the most celebrated British artist of his time, Henry Moore trained at Leeds School of Art before gaining a scholarship to the Royal College of Art. By the 1930s Moore was already recognized as the leading avant-garde sculptor in England but it was his war drawings that brought him to the attention of the British public. His wider reputation was assured in 1948 when he won the International Sculpture Prize at the Venice Biennale and from then on came public commissions from all over the world. 

 

Here we have an original drawing in pen, ink and wash available for sale. It comprises eight drawings depicting abstracted female forms on a single page. Moore would obessively draw forms over and over again, theoretically unfolding them, simplifying them. Here we can see how he merges the shapes of reclining females with other natural ones, such as shells and animal bones, items which he collected and kept in his studio as constant points of reference. The abstract forms come from the starting point of real objects and are immediately recognisable as concepts from the mind of Henry Moore. This work, 'Eight Reclining Figures' was created in 1962 and is signed and dated by the artist. It has excellent provenance with it - it was exhibited at Gimpel & Hanover Galerie, Zurich in the 60's and bears the gallery label on the reverse of the frame. We know that it was purchased from Gimpels in 1967 by one S. H. Proger of Brookline, Massachusetts, USA. It came to us via a private collector in Cheshire this year. This work is featured in the Henry Moore Catalogue Raisonné: 1960-1969; Henry Moore: Complete Drawings, Volume 4, 1950-1976; edited by Ann Garrould; and the Henry Moore Foundation Catalogue.

'Eight Reclining Figures', 1962, pen, ink and watercolour on paper, 29.2 x 23.3cm, £19,500.

 

In contrast to this medium and approach, here is a rare etching with aquatint by Henry Moore also available in the exhibition. 

 

Henry Moore, 'Reclining Figure III', etching with aquatint, Artist's Proof, 22.6 x 30cm, £3,500

 

Moore started printmaking in 1931, and in 1958 met the master lithographer Stanley Jones at the Curwen Press with whom he continued to make prints until the end of his life in 1986. Many of his etchings were published by the Swiss art dealer and publisher, Gerard Cramer, whom he met in 1961. Cramer and Moore went on to work together for over 25 years. International success characterised Moore's career from the 1950s onward. In 1977 he established the Henry Moore Foundation to encourage wider enjoyment and opportunities in the arts.

 

'Reclining Figure III', is an etching with aquatint, Artist's Proof. It measures 22.6 x 30cm and is priced at £3,500. From the series, The Reclining Figure, a portfolio of nine etchings, published by Ganymed Original Editions in association with the Louisiana Museum, Denmark. A very fine artist's proof impression printed in colours from three plates by Lacourière and Frélaut in Paris. On a full sheet of wove Richard de Bas watermarked paper from the edition of 15 reserved for the artist. The total edition size of the portfolio is 65 and it is included in Gerard Cramer's Catalogue Raisonné.

 

Signed and annotated by the artist in pencil, Pl. AP 15/15.

In excellent condition with subtle and atmospheric colouring.

 

The exhibition features a good range of works on paper by Henry Moore, including original drawings, etchings and lithographs.  Works by Henry Moore that we have available to purchase range from £1,250 - £19,500.

 

Further Works by Henry Moore in the exhibition - 

 

 

 

 

References: