Henry Moore Foundation facts for kids
The Henry Moore Foundation is a registered charity in England, established for education and promotion of the fine arts — in particular, to advance understanding of the works of Henry Moore, and to promote the public appreciation of sculpture more generally. The Foundation is also tasked with administering the sale, exhibition and conservation of Moore's work in perpetuity.
The charity was set up with a gift from the artist and his family in 1977. The Foundation supports a wide range of projects, including fellowships for artists and art historians and financial grants to various arts institutions. It is based in the UK and operates from two locations: Henry Moore Studios & Gardens in Perry Green in rural Hertfordshire, and the Henry Moore Institute in Leeds, West Yorkshire.
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Henry Moore Institute, Leeds
The Henry Moore Institute is a centre for the study of sculpture in Leeds, located next door to Leeds Art Gallery on The Headrow. The Institute opened to the public on 22 April 1993. It is housed in a grade II listed building, converted from three former wool merchants' offices and designed by architects Jeremy Dixon and Edward Jones. It is connected via a bridge to Leeds Art Gallery. Admission is free.
The Institute was born out of an earlier partnership between the Foundation and Leeds Art Gallery in 1982, which led to the creation of the Henry Moore Centre for the Study of Sculpture within Leeds City Art Gallery. In 1988, the Foundation established the Henry Moore Sculpture Trust as a 'public face' of the Foundation, which operated out of a basement room in Leeds City Art Gallery. In the following year, the Trust opened the Henry Moore Studio in Dean Clough, designed to give opportunities to contemporary artists. The Henry Moore Studio closed in 1999, at which time the Henry Moore Sculpture Trust and the Henry Moore Foundation amalgamated under the Foundation’s name.
The Institute operates a changing programme of mainly sculptural exhibitions, and also features a research library and an archive of sculptors' papers and ephemera. Staff at the Institute are also responsible for administering the sculpture collections of the neighbouring Leeds Art Gallery. The Institute hosts seasonal programmes of events, based on current exhibitions or other research interests, including lectures, seminars, conferences and practical workshops.
In 2023 the Institute closed for refurbishment in order to provide a dedicated education space. It is due to reopen in summer 2024.
Henry Moore Studios & Gardens, Perry Green
The foundation is the name of Moore's art charity, and also of his former estate, which welcomes thousands of visitors every year. it includes the artist's restored home Hoglands, and its flower garden, his studios, and over 70 acres of less formal gardens and fields containing many of his monumental sculptures. The grounds also feature the Sheep Field Barn gallery with changing exhibititions, and the medieval Aisled Barn with a display of nine large colourful tapestries based on his drawings. The estate is open seasonally to everyone, with an admission fee.
The foundation's headquarters are at Perry Green, and its large collections of his work. The collections include sculptures in stone, wood, plaster and bronze, drawings and sketchbooks, graphic work, and preparatory materials such as found objects and maquettes. The art works are exhibited around the world, including institutions such as: the Kremlin Museums in Moscow, Russia and the Pomodoro Foundation in Milan, Italy.
As well as running the Henry Moore Institute, the foundation gives grants to museums and galleries. Its current director is Godfrey Worsdale.
2005 sculpture theft
Reclining Figure 1969–70, a bronze sculpture, was stolen from the Foundation at Henry Moore Studios & Gardens on 15 December 2005. Thieves are believed to have lifted the 3.6 by 2 by 2-m , 2.1-tonne statue onto the back of a Mercedes lorry using a crane. Police investigating the theft believe it could have been stolen for scrap value.
See also
In Spanish: Fundación Henry Moore para niños
- List of single-artist museums
