‘The observation of nature is part of an artist’s life,’ Henry Moore once said. ‘It enlarges his form-knowledge, keeps him fresh […] and feeds inspiration.’ When one thinks of the sculptor’s connection to the natural world, images come to mind of roaming sheep exploring the titanic bronzes at his Hertfordshire home, Hoglands, or in the rolling hills of Yorkshire Sculpture Park; indeed, Moore was keen for animals to interact with his work. There are no sheep wandering around the manicured beds and greenhouses of Kew Gardens, but the location nonetheless provides a thought-provoking setting for one of the largest exhibitions dedicated to Moore to date (9 May–31 January 2027). With some 30 sculptures placed around the site, as well as smaller sculptures, prints and drawings on display at Kew’s Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art, this show aims to draw out the ways in which Moore’s art was informed by organic floral forms as well as by the contours of the human – and ovine – body.
Find out more from Kew Gardens’ website.
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