At the heart of Moore’s practice from his earliest years to the end was the directness of working on a small scale, whether it was carving small stones or pieces of wood, casting lead, modelling in clay or, as was usual in later years, modelling in plasticine around a found stone or bone to be cast in bronze.

The exhibition will include sculptures in many media, including stone, wood, terracotta, plaster, lead, plasticine and bronze; and span themes recurrent in his work: the reclining female figure, the mother and child, the human head, and the fallen warrior. It will include maquettes for some of his best-known, public sculptures alongside lesser-known works, including the display for the very first time in a museum exhibition of a recently discovered early lead cast of Mother & Child.

Henry Moore pioneered a new vision for modern sculpture, becoming a global star within his own lifetime. He is best known for his monumental bronze sculptures but he also made carvings, drawings, prints and designed textiles and tapestries. Numerous Henry Moore sculptures are sited in public places around the world, such as the Henry Moore Studios & Gardens, Yorkshire Sculpture Park, the Lincoln Centre London, Kensington Gardens London and Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto.

The exhibition will run from the 3rd of May until the 8th of September at the Holburne Museum.