Henry Moore

The Henry Moore Foundation, Much Hadham, Hertfordshire
Weintraub Collection, New York (and sold: Sotheby's, New York, November 9, 1995, lot 344)
Emilio Arditti, Basel (acquired at the above sale)
Arij Gasiunasen Fine Art, Palm Beach
Acquired from the above in 1996

Will Grohmann, Henry Moore, Berlin, 1960, illustration of the plaster pl. 158
Alan Bowness, ed., Henry Moore: Complete Sculpture, 1955-64, vol. 3, London, 1965, no. 383, illustrations of another cast pls. 25-26
Robert Melville, Henry Moore, New York, 1968, no. 505, illustration of another cast pl. XXII and of the plaster p. 212
Henry Seldis, Henry Moore in America, Los Angeles, 1973, no. 48, illustration of another cast pl. 266
David Finn & Kenneth Clark, Henry Moore Sculpture and Environment, London, 1977, illustration of another cast pp. 386-91
Alan G. Wilkinson, The Moore Collection in the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, 1979, no. 110, illustration of another cast n.p.
David Mitchinson, ed., Henry Moore, With comments by the artist, London, 1981, illustration of another cast p. 153
William S. Lieberman, Henry Moore: Sixty Years of His Art, New York, 1983, illustration of another cast p. 86
Alan Bowness, ed., Henry Moore, Sculpture and Drawings, 1955-64, vol. 3, London, 1977, no. 383, illustration of another cast p. 21

Dark brown patina. There is minor surface dirt in crevices, especially on the base. A few pin dots of accretion scattered throughout surface, visible only in crevices. The work is in very good condition.
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.

In 1955, Henry Moore was asked to make a sculpture for the courtyard of a new building in Milan, Italy.  He later recalled:  "I visited the site and a lone Lombard poplar growing behind the building convinced me that a vertical work would act as the correct counterfoil to the horizontal rhythm of the building.  This idea grew ultimately into the Upright Motives.  Back home in England I began a series of maquettes.  I started by balancing different forms one above the other--with the results rather like the North West American totem poles..."  (quoted in D. Mitchison, Henry Moore, With comments by the artist, London, 1981, p. 135).

The Upright Motive series incorporate a variety of visual references ranging from the figural to the abstract.  "Ever-changing, they look like tomb stelae at one moment, at another like totem poles; they achieve a poignancy, like something still agonizing over its own existence, or they may appear triumphant, as though their life were already behind them and they are now resting in eternity"  (Will Grohmann, The Art of Henry Moore, New York, 1960).