Henry Moore

Lullaby: Sleeping Head

1973

One of a series of 18 lithographs drawn by the artist for the Auden Poems/Moore Lithographs 1974 book and portfolio. This work is from an edition of 25 printed on vellum aside from the portfolio (edition of 75) and the book. Signed by the artist and numbered 1/25 lower left in pencil. This print features small sketches of heads resting on forearms. Moore experimented with different angles, appearing to practice for the composition for Lullaby: Sleeping Head, which depicts a shadowy figure supporting the head of a sleeping woman. Lullaby: Sketches is a rare window into Moore’s process of composing an image. Delicate, single-line arms and hair reveal the sculptor’s equal talent as a draftsman. The imagery for Lullaby Sketches was inspired by Auden’s poem Lullaby. Lullaby was the first poem Moore read for this project, which begins: “Lay your sleeping head, my love / Human on my faithless arm; / Time and fevers burn away Individual beauty from / Thoughtful children, and the grave / Proves the child ephemeral: / But in my arms till break of day / Let the living creature lie, / Mortal, guilty, but to me / The entirely beautiful.” The Auden/Moore limited edition book and portfolio were exhibited on publication at the British Museum, London, with an accompanying catalogue. Lullaby Sketches is one of a group of lithographs...

One of a series of 18 lithographs drawn by the artist for the Auden Poems/Moore Lithographs 1974 book and portfolio. This work is from an edition of 25 printed on vellum aside from t...

This darkly-shaded portrait of two figures is one of a series of 18 lithographs drawn by the artist for the Auden Poems/Moore Lithographs 1974 book and portfolio. This work is from an edition of 25 printed on vellum aside from the portfolio (edition of 75) and the book. Signed by the artist lower right in pencil; numbered lower left in pencil. Printed in inky black, Thin-lipped Armourer features two figures subsumed in crosshatched shadow. The figure on the left can barely be seen, and the hollows of his eyes recall a skull. Numerous Moore prints from this series include two heads, perhaps relating to the first lines of Auden’s poem Lullaby. Lullaby was the first poem Moore read for this project, which begins: “Lay your sleeping head, my love / Human on my faithless arm; / Time and fevers burn away Individual beauty from / Thoughtful children, and the grave / Proves the child ephemeral: / But in my arms till break of day / Let the living creature lie, / Mortal, guilty, but to me / The entirely beautiful.” This print evinces Moore’s fascination with light and dark – what he called a “…bias towards the blackness and mysterious depths.” Moore was inspired by the prints of Rembrandt and the drawings of Seurat, and even drew on his memories of viewing the Altamira cave paintings, recalling how some of the images used the shadow of candlelight on the rough surface of the rock to model light. Shortly before starting work on this series of lithographs, Moore had fallen ill, leaving him aware of his own mortality. His mood pervaded these prints with a sense of danger and foreboding. The Auden/Moore limited edition book and portfolio were exhibited on publication at the British Museum, London, with an accompanying catalogue. Thin-lipped Armourer I is one of a group of lithographs...

This abstract, black and white drawing is one of a series of 18 lithographs drawn by the artist for the Auden Poems/Moore Lithographs 1974 book and portfolio. This work is from an ed...

A striking piece by Moore also presented in the Tate collection. Lithograph in colours, on Rives paper. A Printer’s Proof outside of a limited edition of 50, initialed in pencil. Ye...

Etching on paper.
 Hand-signed and numbered by the artist.
 Paper size: 52 x 44 cm
 Framed 57.3 x 48.5 cm Edition of 65 Henry Moore’s Mother and Child...

Moore, Henry. WOMAN'S HEAD. Cramer 630. Color lithograph, 1981. Edition of 50, numbered 9/50 and signed in pencil. 8 3/4 x 9 7/8 inches, 222 x 250 mm. plus full maargins. In excellen...

This exquisite lithograph by Henry Moore (1898–1986), titled Reclining Figure, from the album San Lazzaro et ses Amis, Hommage au fondateur de la revue XXe siecle (San Lazzaro and His Friends, Tribute to the Founder of the Journal XXe Siecle), originates from the 1975 edition published by XXe siecle, Paris, and printed by Curwen Studio, London, October 1975. Reclining Figure embodies Moore’s lifelong fascination with the human form in repose—a theme that became central to his sculptural and graphic work. Through elegant contours and balanced abstraction, the composition captures the harmony between body, landscape, and spirit that defined Moore’s artistic vision. Executed as a lithograph on velin d'Arches paper, this work measures 10.5 x 14 inches (26.67 x 35.56 cm). Unsigned and unnumbered as issued. The edition exemplifies the exceptional craftsmanship of the Curwen Studio in London, a distinguished atelier celebrated for its collaborations with the leading modern artists of the postwar period. Artwork Details: Artist: Henry Moore (1898–1986) Title: Reclining Figure, from San Lazzaro et ses Amis, Hommage au fondateur de la revue XXe siecle, 1975 Medium: Lithograph on velin d'Arches paper Dimensions: 10.5 x 14 inches (26.67 x 35.56 cm) Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered as issued Date: 1975 Publisher: XXe siecle, Paris Printer: Curwen Studio, London Catalogue raisonne references: Moore, Henry, et al. Henry Moore, Catalogue of Graphic Work. Gerald Cramer, 1986, illustration 366. Condition: Well preserved, consistent with age and medium Provenance: From the album San Lazzaro et ses Amis, Hommage au fondateur de la revue XXe siecle, published by XXe siecle, Paris, October 1975 Notes: Excerpted from the folio (translated from French), Finished printing in Paris in October 1975. This album has been printed on velin d'Arches in DLXXV numbered examples. The LXXV original examples include a series of VIII original lithographs, signed and numbered by the artists. In addition, LV examples were printed for artists, authors, friends and collaborators of XXe siecle. The typography is from l'Imprimerie Union in Paris; the lithographs of Max Bill, Marc Chagall, Hans Hartung, Braque, Fontana, Magnelli, Picasso, Magritte and Poliakoff were printed by Fernand Mourlot in Paris; those of Alexander Calder and Joan Miro by l'imprimerie Arte in Paris; that of Max Ernst by Pierre Chave in Vence; that of Zao Wou-Ki by ateliers Bellin in Paris; and that of Henry Moore by the Curwen Studio in London. About the Publication: San Lazzaro et ses Amis, Hommage au fondateur de la revue XXe siecle (San Lazzaro and His Friends, Tribute to the Founder of the Journal XXe Siecle), published in 1975 by XXe siecle, Paris, represents one of the most significant collaborative tributes in modern art publishing. Created in honor of Gualtieri di San Lazzaro, the visionary editor and founder of the journal XXe Siecle, the folio unites original lithographs by the greatest modern masters—Picasso, Chagall, Miro, Calder, Hartung, Moore, and others. Printed by premier ateliers such as Mourlot, Arte, Bellin, and Curwen, the portfolio celebrates the spirit of artistic collaboration and innovation that defined mid-20th-century modernism. 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...