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Discover & Research

Sculpture research programme

The Henry Moore Institute’s sculpture research programme places sculpture at the centre of current art historical scholarship and actively encourages new research.

Two visitors, a man and a woman, interact with Robert Filliou's 'Collective Dance Poem by Chance', a sculpture comprised of two bicycle wheels.

At the Henry Moore Institute, we pride ourselves on being a hub of contact and exchange, generating and supporting research networks that extend beyond the confines of academia.

Our sculpture research programme operates across disciplines and art forms, engaging with performance, drawing, photography or architecture, or with wider fields such as politics or anthropology.

Research seasons

Each year our research programme is organised into specific areas of enquiry, explored through themed Research Seasons. Each season includes a range of research events, conferences, lectures, film screenings and discussions, designed to showcase new thinking on different aspects of sculpture.

Explore our previous research seasons, and watch recordings of talks, conferences and performances.

See all previous research seasons

 

Upcoming conferences and events

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Place Holders, Elevators and Supporters
Composite image made up of three photos of different sculptures, laid on top of each other to create a new abstract sculpture.
Part of Hany Armanious: Stone Soup
Part of Hany Armanious: Stone Soup

Workshop

Place Holders, Elevators and Supporters

12:30–17:30

Book your free ticket

Henry Moore Institute, Leeds
Sensory Innovations and Creativity in the Arts
A woman is raising her hand to touch metal sculptures hanging from the ceiling. There are seven of them, each a vertical slice cut from a bell.
Part of Beyond the Visual
Part of Beyond the Visual

Early career research symposium

Sensory Innovations and Creativity in the Arts

Book Now

Henry Moore Institute, Leeds
Blindness and Expanded Sculpture
A ring of metal, roughly 30cm in diameter, hanging on a loop of string. A hand is steadying the ring, while a second hand is poised to strike it with a small, square hammer.
Part of Beyond the Visual
Part of Beyond the Visual

Conference

Blindness and Expanded Sculpture

Book Now

Leeds Art Gallery, UK
Collaborative Audio Description
Part of Beyond the Visual
Part of Beyond the Visual

Workshop

Collaborative Audio Description

10:00–15:30

Book Now

Yorkshire Sculpture Park

Research opportunities

Find out how you can get involved with our research programme.

 

Calls for participation

We hold conferences on a range of sculpture topics at the Institute in Leeds, Studios & Gardens in Hertfordshire, and with external partner venues.

Our research facilities

We encourage researchers at all levels to seek our advice and make use of our world-class archive, library and sculpture collections in Leeds.

Please note that the library and archive are open by appointment only while refurbishment work at the Henry Moore Institute is taking place.

Unfortunately, this means there will be access restrictions until summer 2024, which will make it difficult to accommodate everyone.

If you are a researcher who would like to use our resources while the building is closed, please first browse our online library collection and archive catalogue, then contact the Archivist and Librarian to discuss your needs in advance.

Leeds sculpture collection

We oversee the development of Leeds Museums and Galleries’ sculpture collections, a partnership that has built one of the strongest collections of British sculpture in the country.

Online research resources

Collaboration is at the heart of our research programme.

We have jointly funded and collaborated in a number of initiatives intended to consolidate primary resources for the study of sculpture.

Search our online research resources

Essays on Sculpture

Essays on Sculpture is the journal of the Henry Moore Institute, tacking a diverse range of subjects, disciplines and styles to investigate the important role that sculpture plays in the world at large.

Shop Essays on Sculpture online

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