Henry Moore

Marlborough Gallery, London
Norbert Ketterer, Munich
Lee Kolker
Jeffrey H. Loria & Co., New York
Acquired from the above in 1970

Alan Bowness, ed., Henry Moore, Complete Sculpture, 1955-64, vol. III, London, 1965, no. 413, illustration of another cast p. 30

Very good condition. There is a light brown patina. With the artist's original wooden base. Some minor surface dirt in deepest crevices, otherwise the work is in lovely state, recently cleaned and waxed.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Reclining Figure from 1957 is an early and daringly modern manifestation of the artist's masterful exploration of the reclining figure in sculpture. With a richly textured surface and wildly creative figural interpertation, this work is a prime example from an undeniably important decade within the artist's trajectory. Moore's fascination with the reclining figure can be traced back to his arrival in London in 1921 when he was subsequently exposed to the Pre-Columbian treasures at the British Museum. Moore wrote in 1941, "Of works from the Americas, Mexican art was exceptionally well represented in the [British] Museum. Mexican sculpture... seemed to me true and right. Its 'stoniness' by which I mean its truth and material, its tremendous power without loss of sensitiveness, its astonishing variety and fertility of form-invention and its approach to a full three-dimensional conception of form, make it unsurpassed in my opinion by any other period of stone sculpture" (quoted in Manfred Fath, Henry Moore: From the Inside Out, New York, p. 19).

This preoccupation would continue to dominate his oeuvre beyond the mid-twentieth century, but his works from the 40s and 50s are notable for their fervent modernism. Moore applies this passion to a subject with much significance in the history of art, from depictions of the Mexican god of Chacmool and Titian's and Giorgione's lush paintings of reclining nudes before him to contemporary artists like Wesselman after him. Extrapolating on his use of the reclining figure, the artist once stated, "There are three fundamental poses of the human figure. One standing, another is seated, and the third is lying down. But of the three poses, the reclining figure gives the most freedom, compositionally and spacially. The seated figure has to have something to sit on. You can't free it from its pedestal. A reclining figure can recline on any surface. It is free and stable at the same time. It fits in with my belief that sculpture should be permanent, should last for eternity" (Franco Russoli, Henry Moore Sculpture (exhibition catalogue), Barcelona, 1981, p. 86).

 

Fig. 1  Moore at work on a Reclining Figure, circa 1959