Henry Moore: Monumental Nature

Henry Moore preferred his large sculptures to be displayed outdoors. He would, I expect, be delighted by the decision to place thirty of them in the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew. The pieces here vary greatly. Some are representational, others purely abstract. Some are made of bronze, some of fibreglass. Most are huge and imposing and somehow seem even more so set amongst Kew’s magnificent trees and glass houses. Being able to walk around them, to see them close up, to see their markings and their variations in color and texture provides an opportunity to appreciate Moore in a new way. His extraordinary ability to infuse these massive, heavy pieces with such movement and gracefulness and the wonderful delicacy and gentleness when sculpting the human form are appreciable here in a way they could never be inside a gallery or museum.

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