Henry Moore

Alan Bowness, ed., Henry Moore Complete Sculpture, 1955-1964, vol. 3, London, 1986, no. 436, illustration of another cast p. 37

Dark brown patina, screwed to a black base at two places on the underside. There is minor surface dirt in crevices with some minor accretion and plaster residue in the deepest crevices, especially in the figure's lower back and waist. Otherwise fine, work is in very good condition.
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Seated Figure on Square Steps is an outstanding example of Moore's work of the 1950s, a decade in which he challenges the idea of space through various means. In this case the redevelopment of the base is a key part of his thinking. The figure sits, semi-upright and curved in form, dramatically juxtaposed against the stairs beneath her. Moore is using the steps as a way to organize space - an even, structured form that works as a wonderful development of the standard plinth.

Moore worked on a number of enormous projects in the 1950s and naturally they all involve a characteristic monumentality. Works including the massive Unesco commission in Paris and the brick relief on the Bouwcentrum in Rotterdam are testament to a sculptor gaining a formidable reputation and executing ideas unburdened by monetary restriction. Indeed the present work is one of 11 maquettes for the Unesco commission which was a formidable test even for a sculptor of Moore's skill.

"The commission to make a work for the Unesco headquarters in Paris occupied Moore for over four years, during which time he filled notebooks with sketches and ideas as well as completing eleven maquettes on the subject. This led to his biographer, Roger Berthoud, dubbing the group 'the daughters of Unesco'" (David Mitchinson, Celebrating Moore, London, 1998, no. 181, p. 253).