Henry Moore

Acquired from the artist by the present owner

Alan Bowness, ed., Henry Moore Complete Sculpture, 1980-1986, vol. 6, London, 1986, no. 873, p. 55, illustration of another cast p. 54 and pl. 114

Very good condition. There are a few tiny irregularities in the surface, which are inherent to the bronze.
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Henry Moore stated, "There are three fundamental poses of the human figure.  One is standing, another is seated, and the third is lying down.  And between them (sitting and lying), there are enough variations to occupy any sculptor for a lifetime.  In fact, if I were told that from now on I should have only stone for the seated figures I should not mind at all" (Franco Russoli, Henry Moore Sculpture, (exhibition catalogue), Ediciones Polígrafa, Barcelona, 1981, p. 86).

Conceived in 1982, the present work is a fine example of one of the themes that preoccupied Moore, the Mother and Child.  The composition is described simply as Mother with Twins, but the title gives little indication of the energy that is inherent in this work.  Moore has rendered his sitter neither passive nor lifeless, but as calm, anticipating the movements of her progeny, one nursing while the second moves forward for nourishment.  With its simplicity of form and complexity of meaning, this engaging work demonstrates the aesthetic that dominated Moore's work throughout his life.  As early as 1922 (Fig. 1), Moore explored the theme of maternity, but the present work is the only one where the artist depicted a mother with twins. 

Fig. 1 Henry Moore, Mother and Child, 1922, Portland stone, Private collectsion