Recasting Global Modernities and the Making of Shared Worlds: New Perspectives through Henry Moore

The Henry Moore Foundation, in collaboration with the Department of History of Art at the University of Cambridge and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, invites proposals for a two-day interdisciplinary conference exploring new perspectives on modernism through the work and legacy of Henry Moore. Coinciding with two major exhibitions – Henry Moore: Monumental Nature at Kew Gardens and The Art and Life of Henry Moore at the Henry Moore Studios & Gardens – the conference offers a unique platform for dialogue, collaboration, and exchange.

Bringing together scholars, curators, artists, conservators, architects, technicians, heritage professionals, and researchers from across disciplines, the conference seeks to recast modern British art within wider environmental, global, and methodological frameworks. We welcome contributions engaging with themes including artistic production, materiality, environmental thinking, conservation practices, global modernism, architecture, transnational exchange, curatorial practice, institutional histories, artistic labour, and the afterlives of artworks.

Reflecting Moore’s own engagement with environmental, material, professional, and pedagogical perspectives, the conference adopts a multi-site format that combines scholarly discussion with encounters with artworks in situ. As part of the first day, participants will have the opportunity to engage directly with the exhibition and grounds at Kew Gardens through curator-led tours, whilst a spotlight session on day two will explore Moore’s relationship with Cambridge. Following the two-day conference, delegates are offered an optional visit to the Henry Moore Studios & Gardens with an opportunity to explore the site through a curator-led tour of the exhibitions and grounds.

The conference is kindly supported by The British Academy Early Career Research Network, and early career researchers are particularly encouraged to apply.

Panel 1: Public, Professional, and Planetary: Environmental Stewardship and Responsibility in Modern British Art through the Work of Henry Moore

This panel focuses on the responsibilities embedded in artistic production. Using Moore as a lens, it examines how sculpture engages with material sourcing, labour, locality, and environmental impact. We invite contributions on quarrying, fabrication, transport, and installation, as well as vernacular techniques and local materials. Papers may consider how artists negotiated relationships with landscapes, resources, and communities, and how these decisions shaped artistic practice. The session foregrounds the environmental infrastructures of modern art and their wider implications.

Panel 2: Material Ecologies: Matter, Landscape, and Meaning in Henry Moore’s Practice

This panel investigates how materiality and organic observation shaped the visual language of British modernism. Moore’s study of bones, stones, and shells offered structural insights that transcended simple illustration, signalling a deep engagement with natural forms. We welcome contributions that explore the intersections of sculpture and geology, the role of scientific thought in shaping artistic form, and the ways material scarcity – from wartime shortages to ecological crises such as Dutch elm disease – has driven artistic innovation. By bringing together art history and environmental humanities, this session explores how matter and landscape contributed to the meaning and evolution of sculptural practice.

Panel 3: Nuance, Context, and Method: Reconsidering British Modernism through Henry Moore

This panel invites contributions that rethink British modernism through method-driven and interdisciplinary approaches. Using Moore’s practice as a point of entry, it explores the cultural, institutional, and spatial contexts that shape how modern art is understood. We welcome papers engaging with archival research, studio histories, curatorial practice, and spatial analysis. Contributions may examine how archives and collections inform art-historical narratives, or how comparative perspectives reposition British modernism within broader contexts. By foregrounding complexity and context, the session seeks to move beyond established narratives and open new interpretative possibilities for the field.

Panel 4: Global Networks, Afterlives, and Contemporary Resonances of Henry Moore’s Practice

This panel focuses on the afterlives of Moore’s work within global institutional, material, and cultural contexts. We welcome contributions on international networks, cultural diplomacy, and the role of museums and public institutions in shaping artistic legacies. The session considers how artworks persist, transform, and remain relevant through ongoing processes of care, interpretation, and global circulation. Papers may also address conservation and stewardship across different environments, as well as the evolving meanings of modern sculpture in contemporary contexts.