Henry Moore comes to Tate Britain
I grew up in a fairly nondescript town of Northern England surrounded by terraced housing and rolling windswept hills. One of the consolations though was the proximity of a sculpture park, and as a child I was particularly fascinated by the collection of Henry Moore sculptures housed there. They seemed to me as magnificent and imposing as the Easter Island heads. Now living in Leeds I will soon get the chance to reacquaint myself with the works of the great man at a new retrospective given by Tate Britain.
From 24th February to 8th August the Tate Gallery at Millbank is hosting the most extensive collection of Henry Moore sculptures seen in the United Kingdom for many decades. This promises to be one of the London art events of the year and should help to re-establish Henry Moore as one of the greatest British artists of the 20th Century.
Moore was born in Castleford, West Yorkshire in 1898 to a mining family. Moore was expected to enter this subterranean world himself but his artistic brilliance manifested itself at an early age. Moore’s experiences in the trenches of World War I provided the catalyst for his entry into the world of art. Using fantastical, abstract sculptures Moore tried to bring some definition to the carnage and chaos that he had witnessed. In later years Moore came to be known for his abstract human figures, particularly his ‘mother and child’ sculptures. His large, bronze castings often depict reclining forms, and abstract, curvaceous shapes replete with holes and piercings. Some critics believe that his beautifully undulating sculptures are a reflection of the Yorkshire hills of his birthplace.
Moore’s work grew in popularity and acclaim throughout the Twentieth Century but his work has become a victim of its own success, the sheer ubiquity of Moore’s sculptures has lessened the incredible visual and emotive impact that they can have. This new exhibition at Tate Britain, containing a selection of his stunning paintings of the World War II blitz as well as many great sculptures, should go some way to defining Henry Moore again as the greatest sculptor of his time.
I also just want to give a shout out to the enigin design team, some of the stuff they are coming out with is truly amazing!