7 THE GREAT OUTDOORS

Modernist sculptor Henry Moore’s monumental depictions of family groups and reclining !gures, made for public spaces in post-war towns such as Stevenage and Harlow, were a major departure from traditional war memorials and equestrian statues and took sculpture in Britain in a new direction. His semi-abstract stone and bronze works are distinctively organic and re"ect the geological stone formations and undulating hills of the natural landscape. Moore believed sculpture was best viewed in outdoor settings. ‘Sculpture is an art of the open air,’ he said. ‘Daylight, sunlight is necessary to it, and for me its best setting and complement is nature. I would rather have a piece of my sculpture put in a landscape, almost any landscape, than in, or on, the most beautiful building I know.’ In his lifetime he created over 1,000 sculptures, some of which are in his 70-acre gardens at his former home in Perry Green, Hertfordshire.