“Inspired by a piece of bone,” that is the intriguing genesis of Moore’s Arch Sculpture. It is a monumental artwork by the British artist Henry Moore. Moore’s Arch stands here to welcome visitors to the Queen Elizabeth II Memorial Garden.
Henry Moore was one of the most important British artists of the twentieth century. He was an internationally celebrated sculptor. Moore was renowned for his semi-abstract monumental sculptures. His sculptures can be seen all over the world. Moore believed in the significant role public art played in society. He increasingly created sculptures intended for public view.
Moore’s Arch represents the culmination of Moore’s thoughts on the body as architecture. He was fascinated by Stonehenge. Triumphal arches of classical architecture also fascinated him. Moore also liked naturally occurring structures such as sea arches and caves.
The first cast of Moore’s Arch was made in fiberglass. It was for an exhibition in Florence in 1972. Subsequent casts in bronze were installed in dialogue with architecture. You can find them in Columbus, Indiana, and Hiroshima, Japan. Moore donated a large travertine marble version of Moore’s Arch to Kensington Gardens in London in 1980. A bronze version can be found at Moore’s home. It is at the Henry Moore Studios & Gardens in Hertfordshire.
The version of Moore’s Arch that was once exhibited in Kensington Gardens was a fiberglass cast. It was made for Moore’s show in Florence. Moore recreated the six-metre sculpture from 37 tonnes of travertine marble. This longer-lasting marble came from a quarry in northern Italy.
Moore spent nearly two years recreating Moore’s Arch. The Arch was found to be unstable in 1996. It was dismantled and placed into storage. The Arch was restored and replaced in its original location in 2012.
Moore was fascinated by bones. He thought the bone is the inner structure of all living form. He strived to express vital force, energy, and strength that bursts from inside out.
Moore’s Arch evokes a natural form. It might remind you of an arch of wind-smoothed rock. The word “Arch” in the work’s title forces viewers to observe the central vacancy. Moore gives his work the sense of having been shaped by the passage of time. He strips the skeleton of flesh and melds it with the landscape.
After a visit to Stonehenge in 1921, Moore fantasized about sculpting inhabitable pieces. He acknowledged the arch’s association with naturally occurring structures. Caves and sea arches came to his mind. He also thought about the triumphal arches of past architecture.
Moore’s Arch is one of the most dramatic Henry Moore sculptures in the open air. Another cast made in bronze stands in a Library Plaza in Columbus, Indiana. Another is in Hiroshima as an emblem of its indomitable essence.
Moore’s largest bronze sculpture, The Arch, stands over 21 feet tall. His war experience and observations of human suffering influenced his work. He focused on the resilience and vulnerability of the human body. Moore was a strong advocate for public art. Many of his large-scale sculptures are displayed in public spaces around the world.
Moore established the Henry Moore Foundation in 1977. It continues to support the visual arts. It also promotes sculpture and preserves his estate in Perry Green, Hertfordshire.
Moore blended abstraction with the human form. His dedication to public art has left an indelible mark on modern art and culture. Moore’s vision of art connects the human experience and the natural world. His sculptures continue to inspire and resonate with generations of artists and viewers alike.