Three decades of being in the moment | Henry Moore Foundation

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Henry Moore Institute celebrates thirty years of being open to you

This April the Henry Moore Institute is celebrating 30 years since it opened its doors on 21 April 1993.

We’re celebrating with a new library display looking at the making of the building, reflecting on our achievements in that time, as well as a creative competition inviting people to reimagine the building.

A Site for Sculpture: Building the Institute

Inauguration of the Henry Moore Institute in April 1993

A Site for Sculpture: Building the Institute

3 April – 7 July 2023
Sculpture Research Library

As the Henry Moore Institute turns 30, this display in the Sculpture Research Library looks back at the history of the building.

30th Birthday Art Competition: meet the winners

30th Birthday Art Competition: meet the winners

Online celebration

Take a look at all the wonderful artwork submitted to our competition to redesign the front of the Henry Moore Institute.

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“I am so grateful to the Henry Moore Institute and everyone working in it! Happy 30th! They are the best with their continuous support, risk taking and care for sculpture.” - Rafael Pérez Evans, artist

“Between 2010 and 2017 I had the most wonderful honour of leading the Henry Moore Institute – and I loved every moment. The Institute is the most delicious place for thinking on all things sculptural, and it is a place that vibrates with questions.” - Lisa Le Feuvre, Head of Sculpture Studies at the Henry Moore Institute 2010-2017

“On this 30th birthday I send many birthday wishes as I dreamily think of the conversations that have been sparking off the walls for three decades. There is no better place to think about sculpture in the world than the Institute.” - Lisa Le Feuvre, Head of Sculpture Studies at the Henry Moore Institute 2010-2017

“Wow! 30 years! Happy Birthday to the HMI and all who sail in her! The Henry Moore Institute is so important to me, to Leeds and way beyond.” - Howard Eaglestone, visitor

“I remember during the Jean-Marc Bustamente: Dead Calm gallery crit being told off, in the most elegant way, by Penelope Curtis. I had discreetly tried to eat a banana at the end of the crit but Penelope was always observant. 'You naughty boy', she said. There have always been very high standards at the HMI!” - Howard Eaglestone, visitor

“Hurrah for the Henry Moore Institute!! What an asset to Leeds! – a splendid cultural resource, right on my doorstep. After thirty years, I’m still using the research library and archive – most recently, in April 2023.” - Dr Patrick Eyres, regular library user and Director of the New Arcadian Press

“I started work at The Henry Moore Sculpture Trust in September 1990; hired straight out of my art history MA course in London. Robert Hopper took a gamble on me, and it was an incredible four years.” - Ben Heywood, Deputy Director, The Henry Moore Sculpture Trust 1989-94

“I recently had the privilege of an artist’s research fellowship, precious time to read, think and reflect, an opportunity to plan and develop ideas that will take my practice forward, to meet others who will help in guiding the process. I met some brilliant people on the journey, the custodians between library and archive, and those in the pages of the books and journals, the artists, and sculptors whose words and images are captured within the 30,000 and more volumes that filled the spaces.” - Tony Heaton, Artist Research Fellow 2022

“An immersive experience that I continue to draw on in the notes, photographs, and drawings I made during my residency which continue to sustain me and feed into my practice. Blow out those candles, enjoy the cake, happy birthday to you all and thank you for a unique experience!” - Tony Heaton, Artist Research Fellow 2022

“I worked at HMI 1999 to 2003 as the AV Librarian (managing and promoting the slide library) and Assistant Librarian. These photos of my lovely colleagues were taken in 2001.

“The extension to Leeds City Art Gallery was a seminal moment and since the early 1990s Leeds has grown exponentially. I had just completed the Sculpture Studies MA at the University of Leeds and my first job in the 'art world' was Receptionist at HMI. I am now the CEO of Scarborough Museums and Galleries.” - Andrew Clay, CEO Scarborough Museums and Galleries

“I was lucky enough to get a research fellowship at the Henry Moore Institute to finish up my dissertation on installation art in 2001. I might have been the first doctoral student to get this – and I remember at the time that installation was considered a bit of a stretch for the requirement of working on ‘sculpture’. I slept in a Victorian attic hotel room but spent all day every day in the HMI library finessing my draft.” - Claire Bishop, Visiting Research Fellow 2001

“As a result, my only memories are of the activities outside those hours: the emotional upheaval of a breakup and the physical release of going out clubbing with the invigilators. I feel like we danced and drank our way around gay clubs several nights a week. The sound of that summer was Modjo’s Lady (Hear Me Tonight), a song that I still love.” - Claire Bishop, Visiting Research Fellow 2001

Photo of two young women at a table covered in book, with a poster behind that read 'The Centre for the Study of Sculpture'. - Denise Raine, Librarian 1992-2005

“I was a student about to enter the world of university when I started working at Henrys. ‘Henrys’ of course meaning the Henry Moore Institute - a term many of us affectionately used to refer to the gallery. Working at the Institute opened my eyes to the vibrant and expansive world of art and provided me with a lens to explore the city of Leeds.” - Nathan Richards, Information Assistant and Research Assistant 1999-2012

“It wasn’t just the exhibitions that made the Institute such an amazing place to work. Looking back now I can say that the mid show reviews, where the curators and researchers held open discussions with the invigilators and research assistants, were such an amazing thing to be part of - it encouraged critical thinking, provided a forum for continued discussion of ideas and establish a sense of community around the exhibitions and amongst all of us that worked at the Institute.” - Nathan Richards, Information Assistant and Research Assistant 1999-2012

“It wasn’t just a job - it expanded my mind, it was a community and at times it felt like a family. To everyone I worked with at the Henrys I would like to say it was such a pleasure to spend time with you. Happy times.” - Nathan Richards, Information Assistant and Research Assistant 1999-2012

“I worked at the Henry Moore Institute a long, long time ago. It was my first job out of university in Leeds. I met one of my best friends for life, Nathan Richards... Together we invigilated everything from the apple and pear hanging as one to ancient erotic artefacts. We sang songs over the bridge link - to ease our boredom - when we had no visitors. So thank you monsieur Henry Moore!” - Fuzzy Jones 😎

Drawing the Henry Moore Institute with Catherine Aldred

Discover the history of the Henry Moore Institute’s building with our Operations Manager and Artist, Catherine Aldred.

Having worked at the Institute for 30 years, she shares fascinating stories about its past and architecture while bringing it to life through her drawings and paintings.

See more of Catherine’s work on her website: www.catherinealdred.co.uk

Our history

The Henry Moore Institute, part of Henry Moore Foundation opened in Leeds on 21 April 1993 as a centre for the study of sculpture with an art gallery and research library open to all. While the Institute rarely displays any work by its founder, its existence is inspired by Henry Moore’s desire to give people in Leeds access to sculpture.

“I remember that as a young sculptor, there was nothing; there wasn’t a single piece of sculpture in my home town.”

Henry Moore interviewed in 1981

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 led to the development of the Henry Moore Institute in 1993. Award winning architects Jeremy Dixon and Edward Jones BDP redesigned three existing wool merchant’s offices on Cookridge Street in the centre of Leeds, introducing an iconic black granite façade on the front, sensitive, minimalist detailing throughout and creating spaces specifically designed for the display of sculpture.

“We wanted an architect who would respond to the site and respect the almost domestic scale of the existing buildings and produce an architectural statement that was at once strong and restrained.”

Robert Hopper, Director of the Henry Moore Foundation, 1993

The Grade II listed building won both the Leeds Design for Architecture and the RIBA Architecture Award (Yorkshire Region) in 1993.

“The Henry Moore Institute is more than a gallery… It’s one of the major sculpture research places in Britain…The whole point was to be connected, by bridge, to the main art gallery next door… it becomes an extension of the main city art gallery.”

Jeremy Dixon interviewed by Niamh Dillon, 2009 – 2014,
National Life Stories Architects’ Lives, C467/91 © British Library

View of the Henry Moore Institute in 2023/at the opening ceremony in 1993. Photo: Min Young Lim.