Te Papa, in partnership with The Henry Moore Foundation of England, have produced an exhibition for New
Zealand of major works by the famous British sculptor Henry Moore.
The exhibition Henry Moore: Journey Through Form consists of fifteen large-scale bronzes.
These works will be on display in the TOWER Gallery during the
2002 New Zealand Festival. One very large work – measuring
nearly four metres long by two-and-a-half metres high and nearly
two metres wide – will be displayed in the plaza outside Te Papa.
This exhibition is the first time that Henry Moore's large-scale works
have been displayed in New Zealand. Also included in Henry
Moore: journey through form will be a number of small working
models and some of the famous found objects, including bones
and stones, from which Moore developed his huge sculptures.
'Having an exhibition as significant as this, and with such large
pieces, is incredibly exciting,' said Te Papa Chief Executive Dame
Cheryll Sotheran. 'The sheer size of the pieces will also mean a
huge logistical operation to get them to their display area.'
Henry Moore: journey through form also has a section
highlighting Moore's working methods. Visitors can see how Moore developed major works through a series
of experimentations with form, and a succession of developmental stages.
During Henry Moore: journey through form, a satellite exhibition of drawings by Moore and some of his
contemporaries will also show at Te Papa's The Ilott Centre.
Henry Moore was one of the founding fathers of Modernism. He once said that ‘sculpture is like a journey. You
have a different view as you return. The three-dimensional world is full of surprises in a way that a two-dimensional
world could never be.'(1962)
As well as playing a key role in English modern sculpture, Moore’s work has also had an impact on the
development of sculpture in New Zealand.
The body of Henry Moore: Journey through Form concentrates on large and medium-sized bronze works from
the 1960s to the 1980s, including Two Piece Reclining Figure (1969–70), Helmet Head (1960), and Three
Piece Reclining Figure No. 2 Bridge Prop (1963). A key work in Henry Moore: journey through form is Figure in
a Shelter (1983). A component of this is the work currently sited in the Wellington Botanical Gardens.
IMAGE:
John Farnham working
on Figure in a Shelter, 1983 at Perry Green
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