By Henry Moore
Located in Southampton, NY
This exquisite lithograph by Henry Moore (1898–1986), titled Reclining Figure Interior Setting I, from the album XXe siecle, Nouvelle serie, XXXIXe Annee, No. 49, Decembre 1977, originates from the 1977 edition published by Societe Internationale d'Art XXe siecle, Paris, and printed by Curwen Prints Ltd, London, 1977. Reclining Figure Interior Setting I reflects Moore’s masterful synthesis of form and space, capturing his lifelong exploration of the reclining human figure as a symbol of harmony between nature, body, and landscape.
Executed as a lithograph on velin paper, this work measures 9.75 x 12.5 inches (24.77 x 31.75 cm). Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. The edition exemplifies the superb craftsmanship of Curwen Prints Ltd, London.
Artwork Details:
Artist: Henry Moore (1898–1986)
Title: Reclining Figure Interior Setting I, from the album XXe siecle, Nouvelle serie, XXXIXe Annee, No. 49, Decembre 1977
Medium: Lithograph on velin paper
Dimensions: 9.75 x 12.5 inches (24.77 x 31.75 cm)
Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued
Date: 1977
Publisher: Societe Internationale d'Art XXe siecle, Paris
Printer: Curwen Prints Ltd, London
Catalogue raisonne reference: Moore, Henry, et al. Henry Moore, Catalogue of Graphic Work. Gerald Cramer, 1986, illustration 458
Condition: Well preserved, consistent with age and medium
Provenance: From the album XXe siecle, Nouvelle serie, XXXIXe Annee, No. 49, Decembre 1977, published by Societe Internationale d'Art XXe siecle, Paris
About the Publication:
Gualtieri di San Lazzaro's XXe Siecle (Twentieth Century) was one of the most influential art journals of the modern era, founded in Paris in 1938 as a platform for the greatest painters, sculptors, and writers of the 20th century. San Lazzaro, a visionary editor, critic, and champion of modernism, believed that art and literature should coexist as expressions of a shared human imagination. Under his direction, XXe Siecle became a cultural bridge between Europe and the wider world, publishing special issues devoted to leading figures such as Picasso, Matisse, Chagall, Braque, Calder, Miro, Kandinsky, and Leger. Each edition combined essays by renowned critics and poets with original lithographs printed by the foremost ateliers of Paris and London, including Mourlot, Arte, and Curwen, creating a uniquely rich dialogue between text and image. Through XXe Siecle, San Lazzaro preserved the creative spirit of the avant-garde during and after World War II, championing freedom of expression and the evolution of abstraction, Surrealism, and modern thought. Over nearly four decades, the journal shaped international taste and defined the intellectual landscape of postwar art publishing. Today, XXe Siecle remains celebrated for its extraordinary synthesis of art, literature, and design, an enduring testament to Gualtieri di San Lazzaro's belief that the visual arts are the soul of the modern age.
About the Artist:
Henry Moore (1898–1986) was a British sculptor, draftsman, and modernist pioneer whose monumental bronzes and organic abstractions revolutionized 20th-century sculpture and made him one of the most influential artists of his time. Renowned for his reclining figures, mother-and-child compositions, and pierced biomorphic forms inspired by nature, Moore transformed traditional carving into a universal language of rhythm, balance, and humanity. Born in Castleford, Yorkshire, he studied at the Leeds School of Art and the Royal College of Art in London, absorbing the influences of classical sculpture, African and Pre-Columbian art, and the radical innovations of the European avant-garde. Inspired by Pablo Picasso’s Cubist fragmentation of form, Joan Miro’s lyrical biomorphism, Wassily Kandinsky’s spiritual abstraction, and Constantin Brancusi’s purity of shape, Moore developed a style rooted in the harmony between mass and void, structure and space. During the interwar years, he became part of an international circle that included Alexander Calder, Alberto Giacometti, Salvador Dali, Marcel Duchamp, and Man Ray—artists who, like Moore, expanded art’s boundaries through abstraction, surrealism, and conceptual experimentation. Like Calder, Moore explored balance and movement; like Giacometti, he sought the spiritual essence of humanity; and like Dali and Duchamp, he challenged perception and redefined modern form. His sculptures, carved in stone or cast in bronze, evoke both ancient and modern sensibilities—forms that appear to breathe with natural vitality while engaging directly with their surrounding landscapes. Moore’s “Shelter Drawings” (1940–41), created during the London Blitz, revealed his deep empathy for the human condition, marking a pivotal moment in his exploration of resilience and vulnerability. By the mid-20th century, Moore’s monumental bronzes had become landmarks around the world, from the Lincoln Center in New York to the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, embodying timeless symbols of endurance, renewal, and unity. His synthesis of organic abstraction and humanism influenced generations of sculptors including Barbara Hepworth, Isamu Noguchi, Eduardo Paolozzi, Antony Gormley, Anish Kapoor, and Rachel Whiteread. Like Kandinsky and Miro, he believed abstraction could transcend culture and time, while like Duchamp and Man Ray, he embraced experimentation as a pathway to new truths. Moore’s works, housed in major collections including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Tate in London, the Guggenheim Museum, and the Art Institute of Chicago, continue to define the landscape of modern sculpture for their elegance, power, and emotional depth. Standing alongside Pablo Picasso, Alexander Calder, Alberto Giacometti, Salvador Dali, Joan Miro, Wassily Kandinsky, Marcel Duchamp, and Man Ray, Henry Moore remains a cornerstone of modern art—a sculptor whose vision united nature, form, and spirit into a universal language of beauty and meaning. His highest auction record was achieved by Reclining Figure: Festival (1951), which sold for $33.1 million USD at Christie’s, London, on June 30, 2016, reaffirming Henry Moore’s enduring legacy as one of the most visionary, influential, and collectible sculptors in the history of modern art.
Henry Moore Reclining Figure...
Category
Modern 1970s Art
