Henry Moore b.Castleford 1898-1986 Much Hadham
Born into a Yorkshire mining family, the seventh of eight children, Henry Moore won a scholarship to Castleford Grammar School. In the best working class tradition his father saw education as the route to social betterment. Even at the early age of eleven Henry knew his destiny was to become a sculptor but having worked at the coal face, his father regarded this as manual labour. It was a step up the social scale to become a teacher, a career interrupted in 1917 when he enlisted to fight on the Western Front. In 1919 he gained entry into Leeds School of Art on an ex-serviceman’s grant. His exceptional talent was rewarded with a scholarship to the Royal College of Art in 1921.
In London was able to immerse himself not only in the avant-garde but the museums with their magnificent collections. He travelled in France and Italy.
Although once a fervent advocate of direct carving, Moore is best known for his monumental bronzes which can be seen in many places throughout the world as public works of art. They are usually abstractions of the human form, typically mother and child or reclining figures. Characteristically, they are pierced, or contain hollow voids. Many interpret the undulating shapes of these sculptures as references to the landscape and hills of his native Yorkshire.
The artist’s ability to realise large-scale commissions on an almost industrial scale made him exceptionally well off towards the end of his life. However, he lived frugally and most of his wealth went to endow the Henry Moore Foundation, which today continues to support education and promotion of the arts. His success in introducing Modernism into England can be judged by the numerous accolades he received from the establishment during his final years.
Although best known for his sculptural work Henry Moore made over 700 prints, from woodcuts to etchings and lithographs.