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Exhibition

A History of Sculpture in Leeds

The Mezzanine

Leeds Art Gallery, UK

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A History of Sculpture

There is a rich history of sculpture in Leeds. This timeline charts the history of both Leeds Art Gallery, which opened in 1888, the achievements of Henry Moore and the development of the Henry Moore Institute.

The long-established partnership of Leeds City Council and the Henry Moore Foundation began with the development of the Sculpture Study Centre in Leeds Art Gallery in 1982 and the opening of the sculpture galleries, which Moore helped to design, and led to the development of the Henry Moore Institute in 1993.

It now represents an unparalleled collaboration in the collection, study and presentation of sculpture. The Leeds Sculpture Collections lie at the heart of our work together, and are underpinned by the complementary research and curatorial expertise of both organisations.

Early years: 1888 to the Second World War

1888 | October

The Tiled Hall, Leeds City Art Gallery

Leeds City Art Gallery opens to the public on 3 October. Designed by W.H. Thorp and funded by public subscription as part of…

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1898 | July

30 Roundhill Rd

Henry Spencer Moore is born in Castleford on 30 July, Yorkshire, the seventh of eight children.   30 Roundhill Road. A narrow terrace…

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1903

The Leeds Art Club is founded. A radically progressive organisation mixing socialist and anarchist politics with the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche, suffragette feminism,…

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1903 | January

Barbara Hepworth as an infant

Barbara Hepworth is born in Wakefield on 10 January, the eldest of four children.   Barbara Hepworth as an infant with her parents,…

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1912

The Leeds Art Collections Fund is established with an annual subscription of one guinea. Leeds Art Fund still exists to this day and…

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1914-18

Leeds City Art Gallery closes during the First World War. The building is used to temporarily house over 300 Belgian refugees.

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1919

Students taking the Drawing Exam at Leeds School of Art, Tuesday 1st June 1920

Henry Moore starts studying at Leeds College of Art (now Leeds Arts University) helped by an ex-serviceman’s grant. His fellow students include Barbara…

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1921

Moore receives a scholarship to study sculpture at the Royal College of Art, where Barbara Hepworth is once again a fellow student.

1922

Leeds City War Memorial in Victoria Square, outside the Henry Moore Institute

Leeds War Memorial is erected on City Square (relocated to the South of Leeds City Art Gallery on the Headrow in 1937). The…

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1925

Leeds City Art Gallery builds an extension to house the collection of Leeds woollen manufacturer Sam Wilson in a purposebuilt series of rooms.…

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1936

Leeds City Council sets up an annual purchase grant fund to grow the collection with more contemporary work. Leeds City Art Gallery’s reputation…

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1939

Moore's carvings on display in Temple Newsam House, Leeds 1941

On the outbreak of the Second World War, the collections at Leeds City Art Gallery move to Temple Newsam House for safety. Meanwhile,…

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1940

Henry Moore stands in the doorway at the rear of Hoglands, c.1940

Moore and his wife Irina move to the hamlet of Perry Green in Hertfordshire after their own home in Hampstead, London is damaged…

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1943

In 1943 the first retrospective exhibition of Barbara Hepworth’s work is held at Temple Newsam House, Leeds, as part of a joint exhibition…

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Post-war: 1945-1979

1945

Henry Moore receiving an honorary doctorate in literature at the University of Leeds, 1945.

Henry Moore is awarded an honorary degree by the University of Leeds.   Henry Moore given honorary doctorate in literature at the University…

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1947

Leeds City Art Gallery partially reopens with an exhibition marking the centenary of Leeds College of Art on display in remodelled and redecorated…

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1947

'Leeds Art Calendar' issue 1

The first issue of Leeds Art Calendar, a quarterly magazine with articles and listings on visual arts across the region, is published.  …

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1950

The University of Leeds introduces its innovative Gregory Fellowships artist-in-residence scheme. Fellows will include Edward Allington, Kenneth Armitage, Trevor Bell, Reg Butler, Hubert…

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1951

Moore in his garden with the plaster 'Reclining Figure: Festival'

Leeds City Art Gallery exhibits 15 Contemporary British Painters for the Festival of Britain, featuring works by Francis Bacon, Robert MacBryde, John Minton…

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1951

Moore is the subject of a BBC documentary, the first ever film devoted to a living artist, to coincide with his commission for…

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1951

Tate Gallery holds its first retrospective of Moore’s work.

1961

Leeds Museums & Galleries Picture Lending Library

Leeds City Art Gallery Picture Lending Library is established, allowing local people and businesses to borrow work from the collections to display in…

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1977

Moore and his family establish the Henry Moore Foundation to encourage public appreciation of the visual arts. Moore and his wife Irina gift…

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1977

Installation view of the opening exhibition at Yorkshire Sculpture Park, 1977

Yorkshire Sculpture Park opens in the 18th century parkland of Bretton Hall. Through its permanent collections, exhibitions, education programme and support of artists,…

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1979

Plans are announced for the Henry Moore  Foundation to work with Leeds City Council to establish the Henry Moore Centre for the Study…

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1980s

1980 | April

Henry Moore laying the foundation stone of the Henry Moore Sculpture Gallery at the Leeds City Art Gallery, 10th April 1980.

Moore lays the foundation stone for the new Henry Moore Centre for the Study of Sculpture at Leeds City Art Gallery.   Henry…

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1982 | November

Queen Elizabeth II and Henry Moore at the opening of The Henry Moore Centre for the Study of Sculpture on 26 November 1982

The Henry Moore Centre for the Study of Sculpture extension at Leeds City Art Gallery is opened by Queen Elizabeth II. The Centre…

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1986

'Surrealism in Britain in the Thirties' exhibition catalogue

Angels of Anarchy and Machines for Making Clouds: Surrealism in Britain in the Thirties at Leeds City Art Gallery is one of a…

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1986 | August

Henry Moore dies on 31 August at his home in Hertfordshire, survived by his wife Irina, daughter Mary, and grandchildren.

1987

The New Art in Yorkshire open submission exhibition takes place across Leeds’ gallery spaces. Among the 260 artworks exhibited is a piece by…

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1987

Private View card for 'Revelation for the Hands: Sculpture to Touch'

Revelation for the Hands: Sculpture to Touch is organised by the Henry Moore Centre for the Study of Sculpture and boldly encourages visitors…

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1987

The National Life Stories charitable trust and oral history project, based at the British Library, is set up. The Henry Moore Institute is…

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1988

Leeds City Art Gallery celebrates its centenary with a special exhibition 100 Years of Art in Britain. The exhibition featured one artwork for…

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1988

Holbeck Sculpture Exhibition shows Antony Gormley’s maquette for the infamously unrealised The Brick Man – a 12 storey high public sculpture intended for…

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1988

The Henry Moore Foundation establishes the Henry Moore Sculpture Trust, housed in the basement of Leeds City Art Gallery

1989

The exhibition Images of Women at Leeds City Art Gallery puts in motion an increased number of acquisitions of works by women artists…

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1989 | October

The Henry Moore Studio in Dean Clough, Halifax

The Henry Moore Studio in Dean Clough, Halifax is opened by the Prince of Wales. At Dean Clough the Henry Moore Sculpture Trust…

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1990s

1990

The British Art Show 3 tours to Leeds with works by Mona Hatoum, Julian Opie, Cornelia Parker and Rachel Whiteread. The major survey…

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1990

The MA in Sculpture Studies is established at Leeds University, funded by the Henry Moore Foundation.

1992

Construction work on Victoria Gardens and the newly built front entrance of the Henry Moore Institute, c. 1993

Building work begins on the Henry Moore Institute, a dedicated sculpture centre with new galleries, conference facilities, Research Library and Archive of Sculptors’…

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1993 | April

Installation view of 'Romanesque: Stone Sculpture from Medieval England'

The Henry Moore Institute opens. The opening exhibition is Romanesque: Stone Sculpture from Medieval England, accompanied by an Ulrich Rückriem exhibition at Kirkstall…

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1994

Alan Bennett curates Mr Bennett’s Pictures, a tour of Leeds City Art Gallery focusing on his favourite artworks and those that evoke memories…

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1994

All in the Same Boat: Migratory Passages in Contemporary Sculpture (Essays on Sculpture issue 82)

The Henry Moore Centre for the Study of Sculpture starts a research programme, with the introduction of Wednesday evening talks, study displays and…

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1995

The city’s art gallery and museums funded by Leeds City Council join forces as Leeds Museums & Galleries.

1995

The Henry Moore Institute’s research programme expands to include annual fellowships, events and international conferences.

1996

Children play hide and seek around Henry Moore's 'Large Figure in a Shelter' 1984

The grounds at Henry Moore’s former home in Hertfordshire opens for the first time for tours and school groups.   Children play hide…

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1998 | May

Langlands & Bell, 'Eclipse' 1998

Henry Moore Institute and Leeds Art Gallery participate in Artranspennine98. Jointly conceived by the Henry Moore Sculpture Trust and Tate Liverpool, this ambitious…

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1998

Oak tree planted by Joseph Beuys outside the Henry Moore Institute, 1998, as part of his ongoing land art project '7000 Oaks'

As part of his ongoing land art project 7000 Oaks, Joseph Beuys plants a tree outside the Henry Moore Institute alongside an upright…

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2000s

2001 | January

Installation view of 'Alison Wilding: Contract' at the Henry Moore Studio in Dean Clough

Alison Wilding: Contract is the final exhibition held at the Henry Moore Studio in Dean Clough.   Installation view of ‘Alison Wilding: Contract’…

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2003 | September

Installation view of 'Other Criteria: Sculpture in 20th Century Britain'

The Institute celebrates its tenth anniversary with the exhibition Other Criteria, an ambitious examination of 100 years of British sculpture.   Installation view…

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2005

Leeds City Art Gallery takes part in Situation Leeds, the city’s first festival of contemporary artists in the public realm.

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2006

The Northern Art Prize is launched awarding an annual prize of £16,500 and exhibitions to shortlisted artists. There is no age limit, entrants…

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2007 | September

Glasgow University, the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Henry Moore Institute launch the Mapping Sculpture three year research project, funded by the…

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2007 | October

A renovation at Leeds Art Gallery (previously known as Leeds City Art Gallery) opens the Victorian Tiled Hall to the public as a café.

2009

A Biographical Dictionary of Sculptors in Britain 1660-1851 is published for the Paul Mellon Centre and the Henry Moore Foundation by Yale University…

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2010s

2011 | February

Installation view of 'Henry Moore: Prints and Portfolios'

Leeds Art Gallery and the Henry Moore Institute join forces to stage an exhibition of Henry Moore’s work, which brings together over 100…

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2011 | May

The Hepworth Wakefield

The Hepworth Wakefield opens. The new building overlooking the River Calder is designed by David Chipperfield Architects. The gallery is named after Barbara…

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2011 | June

Leeds Art Gallery hosts ARTIST ROOMS: Damien Hirst, an exhibition which charts the artist’s career from his student days at Leeds College of…

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2013

Yorkshire Sculpture Triangle is formed, which sees the Henry Moore Institute, Leeds Art Gallery, The Hepworth Wakefield and Yorkshire Sculpture Park working in…

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2014 | November

Lara Favaretto, 'Doing' 1998/2015

The Event Sculpture takes over the outside of the Henry Moore Institute as a site for performance and temporary sculpture.   Lara Favaretto,…

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2017 | October

Leeds City Art Gallery’s upper gallery following refurbishment

A newly refurbished Leeds Art Gallery reopens with a representation of its world-class art collection spanning 130 years of the Gallery’s history. Also…

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2018 | March

Installation view of 'The Sculpture Collections'

The Sculpture Collections opens, an exhibition celebrating the 36-year partnership between the Henry Moore Institute and Leeds Art Gallery, showcasing the best of…

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2018

The Henry Moore Foundation joins forces with art philanthropist Cathy Wills and the Contemporary Art Society to form a purchasing scheme which acquires…

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2019 | June

Damien Hirst, 'Hymn' 1999-2005

Yorkshire Sculpture International takes place. This 100 day festival sees exhibitions at the Henry Moore Institute, Leeds Art Gallery, The Hepworth Wakefield and…

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2020s

2020

Paloma Varga Weisz, 'Bumpman on a Tree Trunk' 2018

The Covid–19 pandemic closes the galleries. Paloma Warga Weisz’s Bumpman on a Tree Trunk 2018 sits outside the Institute and Henry Moore’s Reclining…

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2023 | January

LEEDS 2023, a year-long celebration of culture across the city, begins.

2023 | April

View of the Henry Moore Institute from Cookridge Street in 2023/1938

The Henry Moore Institute celebrates its 30th anniversary.   View of the Henry Moore Institute from Cookridge Street in 2023/1938. Vintage photo by…

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2023 | September

Aaron McPeake, 'Once I Saw it All' 2022

The Henry Moore Institute is awarded the Arts and Humanities Research Council’s inaugural Exhibition Fund to support a three year research project in…

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2024 | July

The Henry Moore Institute shop

The Henry Moore Institute reopens following internal refurbishment with refreshed spaces and new education facilities.   The Henry Moore Institute shop. Photo: Richard…

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About the Mezzanine

This space was formerly used to show displays from the Leeds Sculpture Collection. However, as the Mezzanine is only accessible by stairs, we do not believe it is suitable to show art in any more.

Instead, we have used this space to create a timeline that details the history of the Henry Moore Institute and Leeds Art Gallery, and explains the special collaboration between the two organisations. All of the information shown in the gallery space is reproduced here.

Getting here

This exhibition is located in the Archive Gallery in Leeds Art Gallery, which is accessible by crossing the bridge link from the Henry Moore Institute. The Mezzanine is only accessible by stairs, with no lift access.

Leeds Art Gallery

The Headrow
Leeds
LS1 3AA

United Kingdom

T:  0113 378 5350
E:  art.gallery@leeds.gov.uk

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