Henry (1898) Moore Sold at Auction Prices

Sculptor, b. 1898 - d. 1986

(born 30 July 1898 Castleford, Yorkshire, England; died 31 August 1986 Much Hadham, Hertfordshire, England) British sculptor. As a prominent artist that produced truly unique sculpture, Henry Moore is considered one of the greatest sculptors of the twentieth century. Moore began working as a teacher, but after he went to fight in World War I he decided to go back to school and pursue his dream of becoming a sculptor; he attended the Leeds School of Art and later received a Royal Exhibition Scholarship to the Royal Academy of Art in London in 1921. In 1925 he traveled to Italy and France, where he was able to visit the works of the Old Masters. However instead of incorporating classicism into his work Moore rejected it; he preferred studying the ancient Egyptian, Mexican and African sculpture at the British Museum. He also preferred the avant-garde, modernist sculpture of such artists as Jean Arp. In 1925 he became an instructor of sculpture at the Royal Academy where he taught until 1932; afterwards teaching at the Chelsea School of Art from 1932-9. In 1928 Moore had his first solo show at the Warren Gallery in London. At first carving directly from wood and stone, Moore paid extra attention to the material he was working with; emphasizing the qualities of those materials and making it a key aspect of his work. Later in his career Moore produced works in bronze, which enabled him to make multiple copies. Moore’s portfolio varied from the concrete to the abstract, however his work is distinct since almost every piece can be linked to the human figure. Although never officially part of the movement, Moore became associated with Surrealism when he participated in the International Surrealist Exhibition at the New Burlington Galleries in London in 1936. During World War II Moore was assigned by the War Artists Advisory Committee to record life in underground bomb shelters, at which time Moore solely focused on drawing. During this time he had his first retrospective at Temple Newsam in Leeds, England, followed by his first major retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1946. In 1948 Moore received the International Prize for Sculpture at the Venice Biennale and the British Order of Merit in 1963. He has held numerous positions at various art institutions as well, including being a trustee at the Tate Gallery (1941-56), the National Gallery (1956-1986), a member of the Art Panel of the Arts Council (1945-51), and member of the Royal Fine Art Commission (1947-1986). Toward the end of his life Moore gave many of his sculptures to the Tate Gallery in London.