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University of California Press

About the Book

Henry Moore's writings constitute a vivid and comprehensive record of his life and work, of the influences that shaped his vision, and of his reactions to the work of other artists, periods, and cultures. Spanning some seventy years, Moore's writings and conversations are much more than documentary records of his life and times: they have considerable literary merit in their own right.

This fascinating collection of Moore's written and spoken words is the most comprehensive yet compiled, and contains much previously unpublished material. It includes over 150 illustrations: photographs of the sculptures, drawings and prints discussed in the text, illustrations of works by other artists, and photographs of the sculptor and his environment at various stages of his life.

Henry Moore: Writings and Conversations completes and complements the catalogues of his sculpture, drawings, and prints. It will be indispensable for scholars and engrossing reading for Moore enthusiasts worldwide.

About the Author

Born in Toronto, Alan Wilkinson studied at the Courtauld Institute of Art, and wrote his Ph.D thesis on the drawings of Henry Moore. Dr. Wilkinson's publications include The Drawings of Henry Moore (1977), Gauguin to Moore: Primitivism in Modern Sculpture (1981), Henry Moore Remembered (1987), Barbara Hepworth: A Retrospective (coauthor) (1994), and the two-volume catalogue raisonné The Sculpture of Jacques Lipchitz (1996 and 2000).

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements
Foreword
Introduction

CHAPTER ONE: LIFE AND INFLUENCES
Yorkshire 1898-1921
London and Kent 1921-40
Hertfordshire 1940-86

CHAPTER TWO: FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES
Alfred Barr
John Desmond Bernal
Kenneth Clark
Nancy Cunard
T.S. Eliot
E.C. Gregory
Julian and Juliette Huxley
Henry Morris
Herbert Read
William Rothenstein
Curt Valentin
Anton Zwemmer

CHAPTER THREE: ART AND ARTISTS
Ancient and Non-Western Art
General Statements on Art
Art and Society
On Critics and Art Criticism
Artists

CHAPTER FOUR: ON SCULPTURE
Articles and Interviews 1930-37
The Nature of Sculpture
Subjects and Sources of Inspiration
Materials
Working Methods
Sculpture and Architecture
Sculpture in Landscape

CHAPTER FIVE: WORKS BY HENRY MOORE

Chronology
Bibliography
Index

Reviews

"For both admirers and students of Henry Moore's work, this book will be a blessing. Moore's humanity and intelligence make this compendium a plea-sure to dip into as well as scholarly and comprehensive."—Roger Berthoud, author of The Life of Henry Moore

"Alan Wilkinson has trawled the rich material with exemplary thoroughness…. The nature and purpose of Moore's writing is illuminated. The introduction reflects Wilkinson's long friendship with Moore, and the commentary and notes testify to a remarkable knowledge of the artist's work, his circle and his ideas."—Sir Alan Bowness, editor of the Henry Moore Complete Sculpture Series