Moore in America

In my view, showing up in an internationally distributed, highly regarded magazine such as The Economist makes you a celebrity. So imagine my excitement when the curator of our exhibition, Anita Feldman, received in it a glowing, full page review of her recent project: Henry Moore Textiles. I could hardly contain myself! Although by time I read the article in January 2008, I was of course already impressed by Anita's passion, patience, and commitment to presenting Moore's work in the most thoughtful, appropriate manner possible.
I first met Anita (above on the right) when we traveled to London in 2007 for the opening of Moore at Kew. The exhibition was stunning. It focused on Moore's later, monumental works, and explored all his major sculptural themes. Viewing the show, you felt like you were getting to know the artist, not the curator, which I think is a good thing. We were already emotionally committed to this exhibition, but by the plane ride home, we knew we needed to make it happen. Anita helped us "make it happen" in so many ways, from educating us on Moore's life and work, to advice on installation and shipping, to working through the loan agreement with us. I'm so happy to have her as our guest blogger this week, addressing one of the most commonly asked questions in her post, following... (And by the way, Henry Moore Textiles and Moore at Kew are both available in the Garden Gift Shop.)

As Curator, people often ask me how the works were selected and sites chosen. For the Moore show in Atlanta this was a peculiar story. Because the exhibition was already on view at Kew Gardens when we received the request from Atlanta the selections had already been made. So it was not a question of which pieces to bring to the US but how to fit these twenty colossal bronzes initially selected for a much more expansive garden into the formal and more intimate spaces of the Atlanta Botanical Garden. We decided to turn this ‘problem’ into an asset – so that you could turn a corner on a path and BOOM be faced with something really impressive and unexpected. Moore once explained the dichotomy between scale and setting by saying ‘If you put Stonehenge in the Grand Canyon it would be lost, it would be nothing’(1971). That’s a bizarre thought - Stonehenge (right) in the Grand Canyon (below). People forget Moore could be a Surrealist at heart and imagine objects in the most unlikely surroundings.

Coupled with the fact that we needed to find sites for twenty sculptures was the fact that the Garden was undergoing extensive renovations (new visitor center, and gardens beyond) which meant that four sculptures were planned for sites that did not yet even exist. We looked at plans for the renovations, walked through the dense forest and wore hard hats through construction areas and imagined how it might look when it was complete.

Knife Edge Two Piece (LH 516) has two dynamic sheer walls of bronze that come together leaving a tense angular gap. It is a sculpture that can withstand the power of an architectural background, (indeed another version of this sculpture stands at the entrance of the east wing of The National Gallery of Art in Washington DC designed by IM Pei) so it was decided to use this piece in the courtyard of the new entrance.

The most popular site is probably Oval with Points (LH 596) in the bog garden. The sculpture becomes a window to the Atlanta skyline. Its dramatic vista shifting as you approach is spectacular, but for me there is also a darker side. The carnivorous plants surrounding the bronze with their little sharp ‘teeth’; the large bronze looming up from the bog with its two points, nearly touching but not quite; there is a pent up energy here – a force unreconciled.

Being from the Moore Foundation I was immediately attracted to the large open lawn – in contrast to all the densely planted areas – here was a great expanse of green calling for a big sculpture! But to my dismay, the lawn had to be left open for summer concerts. This needed some thinking about. The idea then evolved to ‘hold’ the lawn with three large sculptures at opposite edges: Large Reclining Figure (LH 192b) in fibreglass – its white open forms contrasting with the dark foliage of the cannas and banana trees; Goslar Warrior (LH 641), serenely shimmering in the reflecting pool, and Two Piece Reclining Figure: Points (LH 606), boldly holding the sight line of the approach as a gateway to the landscape beyond – its rough cliff-like forms announcing change.

The upright motives are always enjoyable to site – their upward thrust a change from the reclining figures, and the combination of natural and industrial motifs in the works lend themselves to either landscape or architectural surroundings. Here, they rhyme with the verticality of the cacti, and also pick up on the details of the architecture behind. The changing heights of the three motives also echo the undulations in the landscape – reminders of Native North American totem poles that also serve as markers of human intervention with the land.

For me, perhaps my favourite site is that of Reclining Mother and Child (LH 649). It is not spectacular or clever – it is elegant and simple. Everything about it is reassuring – the subject, the material; it is meditative and calm without being boring – no one can say that that baby is like any other! The proportions of the site – its enclosed walled garden perfectly suit the scale of the figure. And the contrast of the weathered green patina of the bronze with all its subtle colour variations could not find a better complement than this warm red brick. Even the rather strange child – inspired by the shape of the inner coil of a seashell - retains its mystery yet is somehow understood in relation to the many leaves, flowers and twisting stems and vines surrounding it. It is these connections between the human figure and the forms of nature that remind us that we are all inextricably linked.

Anita Feldman, Curator, Henry Moore Foundation