Seated Figure on Square Steps

Details

HENRY MOORE, O.M., C.H. (1898-1986)
Seated Figure on Square Steps
bronze with a dark brown patina
9 3⁄8 in. (23.8 cm.) wide
Conceived in 1957 and cast in an edition of 13, plus an artist's cast.
Cast circa 1958-61 by Fiorini Foundry, London.

Provenance

Acquired directly from the artist by Margretta Austin Jamison circa 1960, and by descent to the previous owner.
Their sale; Sotheby's, New York, 9 May 2007, lot 311, where purchased by the present owner.

Literature

I. Jianou, Henry Moore, Paris, 1968, p. 82, no. 415.
R. Melville, Henry Moore, Sculpture and Drawings 1921-1969, London, 1970, p. 360, no. 553, another cast illustrated.
A. Bowness, Henry Moore, Sculpture 1955-64, Vol. 3, London, 1986, pp. 36-37, no. 436, another cast illustrated.

Exhibited

London, Whitechapel Art Gallery, Henry Moore: an exhibition of sculpture from 1950-1960, November - December 1960, no. 51, another cast exhibited.
Dallas, Museum of Art, Henry Moore: Sculpting the 20th Century, February - May 2001, no. 71, another cast exhibited: this exhibition travelled to San Francisco, Fine Arts Museums, June - September 2001; and Washington, D.C., October 2001 - January 2002.
Saint-Paul-de-Vence, Fondation Maeght, Henry Moore: rétrospective, July - November 2002, no. 143, another cast exhibited.

Conditions of sale

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Lot Essay

Seated Figure on Square Steps came about during a period when Moore was completing several important commissions for large-scale sculptures to be placed in architectural settings. These include his 1952 work, Draped Reclining Figure for the Time-Life Building in London, and Unesco Reclining Figure for the UNESCO headquarters in Paris in 1957. While working on the latter, the importance of the commission led Moore to claim, 'I have given up all my other work'. As a consequence many works from the period have their origins in this project.

Representing the figure seated was a significant move away from the standing and reclining figures that he had previously executed, and were a sculptural challenge as they depended on an architectural support for the figure. Relating the figure to its built surroundings continued to fascinate Moore, and he made a number of maquettes during this period. The sweeping steps in Seated Figure on Square Steps are a departure from the benches and angular staircases previously used, and afford Moore the opportunity to show the figure from all angles within an intimate structure.

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