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Artist or Maker: HENRY MOORE (1898-1986)

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Dimensions: Length: 36in. 91.4cm

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Provenance: Property from the Collection of Helene Rabb Cahners
Private Collection, Chicago
Continental Fine Arts, Ltd., New York
Acquired from the above on August 9, 1966

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Notes: Literature:
Will Grohmann, The Art of Henry Moore, London, 1960, illustration of another cast pl. 175
Herbert Read, Henry Moore, A Study of his Life and Work, London, 1965, illustration of another cast pl. 197
Ionel Jianou, Henry Moore, New York, 1968, no. 401, listed p. 81
Robert Melville, Henry Moore, Sculpture and Drawings, 1921-1969, London, 1970, no. 555, illustration of another cast
Giulio Carlo Argan, Henry Moore, New York, 1971, illustration of another cast pl. 137
Franco Russoli and David Mitchinson, Henry Moore, Sculpture, with comments by the artist, New York, 1981, no. 292, illustration of another cast p. 141
Alan Bowness and Herbert Read, Henry Moore, Complete Sculpture 1955-64, vol. 3, London, 1986, no. 422, illustration of another cast pl. 53
The Art of Henry Moore, Sculpture, drawings and graphics, 1921-1984 (exhibition catalogue), Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, 1986, no. 53, illustration of another cast p. 21
Roger Berthoud, The Life of Henry Moore, New York, 1987, discussed p. 278
Sarah Compton, Henry Moore, New York, 1988, no. 141, illustration of another cast pl. 53
David Mitchinson, Henry Moore (exhibition catalogue), Fondation Pierre Gianadda, Martigny, 1989, illustration of another cast p. 184
The Henry Moore Foundation, Henry Moore: The Human Dimension, London, 1991, no. 79, illustration of another cast p. 104 (as dating from 1955)

During the 1950s Moore received commissions for large sculptures to be placed in architectural settings, most importantly Draped Reclining Figure for the Time-Life Building in London and the travertine marble Reclining Figure for the UNESCO headquarters in Paris. The problems of relating the figure to its architectural surroundings continued to fascinate the artist, and during this period he produced about a dozen sculptures on a smaller scale in which the composition incorporates the figure and an architectural backdrop.

The present work, conceived in 1956-57, is a fine example of this theme. The elemental components of this bronze consist of an abstracted female figure and a horizontal, tilted arc that serves as the wall. The composition is described simply as Seated figure against a curved wall, but the title belies the energy that is inherent in this work. Moore has rendered his sitter neither passive nor lifeless, but as alert, anticipating the occurrence of a forthcoming event. The figure leans forward expectantly, balancing her shifting body weight with her extended arm, and she turns her head toward the direction of someone or something that is approaching. The curve of the wall and the horizontal sweep of its grain allude to a trajectory of something in motion, while the tilt of the structure encloses the seated figure within the given space. With its simplicity of form and complexity of meaning, this engaging work demonstrates the aesthetic that dominated Moore's work throughout the 1950s.

Other casts of this work are in the collections of the Arts Council of Great Britain, London; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto; The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, D.C. and the Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide.