Ensuring a legacy
Chapter 6
As international exhibitions became increasingly ambitious, Moore began to consider his legacy, gifting works to public collections and setting up a foundation to administer the sale and exhibition of his work in perpetuity.
Awards and accolades
Moore was recognised for his services to the arts many times during his lifetime. He turned down a Knighthood in 1950, explaining that being addressed as “Sir Henry” would have fundamentally changed the way he viewed himself, and the way people viewed his work.
He did, however, accept numerous other awards. On 9 June 1955, Moore was appointed to the Order of the Companions of Honour. Given to citizens of the Commonwealth for outstanding achievements, it was limited to 65 active members.
Moore was again recognised for his services to art with an Order of Merit in 1963. Limited to just 24 members, the award was a personal gift from Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace.
In 1968, Moore became the twelfth recipient of the Erasmus Prize, awarded at the Royal Palace of Amsterdam for exceptional contributions to culture in Europe.
He was also winner of the inaugural Kaiserring award from the town of Goslar in Germany in 1975. The award came with a commission for a major work for this small but historic town. Moore provided a cast of his new warrior figure, just then being completed at the Noack Foundry in Berlin, renamed Goslar Warrior.
In 1984, Moore was nominated Commandeur de l’Ordre national de la Légion d’honneur (Commander of the Legion of Honour), the highest French order of merit.
Florence
In 1972, the largest exhibition of Moore’s work to date was staged by the British Council in Florence, in the sixteenth-century fortress Forte di Belvedere.
In planning the exhibition, Moore used maquettes and working models of the monumental works, photographed up close against a backdrop of the Florentine skyline, to give an idea of how they would look when installed.
It was difficult to get some of the larger works on site. Works such as Locking Piece and Large Two Forms were cast in fibreglass because the bronzes were too heavy to install. Monumental pieces had to be hoisted over the battlements of the fort by crane as the arch over the entrance was too narrow to fit them through.
The largest and heaviest work shown was the marble Large Square Form with Cut, 1969-71. The sculpture had to be carved in 60 separate sections and each one lifted individually and reassembled in place.
In total, around 300 of Moore’s works were on display in Florence, including 168 sculptures. The exhibition received over 345,000 visitors.
“No better site for showing sculpture in the open-air, in relationship to architecture, & to a town, could be found anywhere in the world, than the Forte di Belvedere, with its impressive environs & its wonderful panoramic views of the city. – Yet its own powerful grandeur and architectural monumentality make it a frightening competitor for any sculpture – and so I know that showing my work here would be a formidable challenge, but one I should accept.”
Henry Moore, undated letter to Luciano Bausi
(Reproduced in Mostra di Henry Moore, Il Bisonte Editore/Nuovedizioni Enrico Vallecchi, Florence, 1972, p.17)
Working with the British Council
The British Council championed Moore more than any other artist. His work was included in group shows organised by the Council from the late 1930s.
In 1947-48 an exhibition of sculpture and drawings by Moore toured Australia, visiting galleries in Sydney, Hobart, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth. From then on, the British Council planned, organised and sponsored exhibitions of Moore’s work year after year.
Their support resulted in exhibitions all over the world, including Belgium, Canada, Germany, Greece, Holland, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Poland, South Africa and Sweden.
In 1981-82 the largest ever exhibition of Moore’s work toured to Madrid, Lisbon and Barcelona. It was organised by the British Council and Henry Moore Foundation working in partnership, together with the cultural authorities and venues in Spain and Portugal. The show included almost 600 works and attracted over 250,000 visitors.
Gifts to public collections
While international exhibitions confirmed Moore’s continuing significance in the field of contemporary sculpture, he had begun to consider his legacy.
The Henry Moore Centre at the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto
Moore donated hundreds of his works to the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, where they would go on display in a newly designed gallery. He was closely involved in the design of the Centre, which opened on 26 October 1974.
The history of the gift and Moore’s connection with Toronto can be traced back to an earlier commission. The architect of Toronto City Hall, Viljo Revell, had asked Moore to provide a sculpture for the Civic Square. Three Way Piece No.2: Archer, 1964-65, was unveiled there in 1966, funded through public campaign and private subscriptions.
In 1967, Moore visited Toronto and the idea for a Henry Moore Sculpture Centre was developed as part of the art gallery’s new building programme.
Moore offered full-size plasters and working models as well as bronzes, prints and drawings, and natural objects that had inspired his work, such as stones and bones. In total he donated 101 sculptures, 57 drawings and 200 prints to the gallery, the largest public collection of his work.
Gift to Tate, London
Moore gave 36 sculptures and a complete set of his graphics to Tate in 1978.
He had promised a gift to the British nation in 1964, but complications over the terms and negative publicity meant that it took years to finalise. In 1967 the gift was announced in the press, alongside reports that the British Government was pledging £200,000 for new galleries at Tate.
The announcement caused confusion. The public and a host of other British artists opposed the gift, believing it was conditional on being displayed in these new galleries, which they felt should not be reserved for a single artist.
The terms were finally agreed in time for Moore’s 80th birthday, when the gift was displayed alongside an exhibition of his drawings. His birthday was also marked by exhibitions at the Serpentine Gallery in London and the City Art Gallery in Bradford.
Moore’s legacy
The Henry Moore Trust was set up to allow for Moore’s estate at Perry Green to become a sculpture park after his death.
In 1977 he set up the Henry Moore Foundation to administer the sale and exhibition of his work in perpetuity. The Foundation was based at his estate in Perry Green.
Henry and Irina gave the Perry Green estate with its land and studios, along with the remaining collection of his work, to the Henry Moore Foundation. This allowed the Foundation to continue to promote his work through exhibitions and to offer grants for the support of sculptural commissions, acquisitions and research.
In 1982 the Henry Moore Sculpture Gallery and Centre for the Study of Sculpture opened at Leeds City Art Gallery.
Henry Moore died at the age of 88 at Perry Green on 31 August 1986.
He was survived by Irina, who died in 1989, their daughter Mary, and their grandchildren.
Read more
Explore an interactive timeline of Henry Moore’s life, featuring important artworks and exhibitions, biographical information and life events, and Moore’s interactions with other artists.