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Selection
Stringed Figure
Henry Moore2025.09.01 ~ 2025.09.07
Work Description
- Media Bronze, String
- Location Signiel Seoul 79F Salon de SIGNIEL
Moore began using strings in his artistic practice in 1937. In this series of works he references the influence of fellow sculptors Naum Gabo and Barbara Hepworth who were both interested in the intersection of solid form and space.
In 1968, Moore describes the origin of his interest in strings:
“Undoubtedly the source of my stringed figures was the Science Museum ... I was fascinated by the mathematical models I saw there, which had been made to illustrate the difference of the form that is half-way between a square and a circle. It wasn’t the scientific study of these models but the ability to look through the strings as with a bird cage and to see one form within another which excited me.”
‘Stringed Figure’ demonstrates the influence of these models in the way the tautness of the wire contrasts with the rounded contours of the polished bronze figure. It encloses and intersects the interior space, still allowing air to travel through the form. Above all, the presence of the strings disrupts the gaze of the viewer, provoking an awareness of the space both within and surrounding the sculpture. The strings also form a tie between the various peaks and troughs of the human-like form, uniting the two concepts into one flowing entity.
Inquiry: Info.seoul@sothebys.com
In 1968, Moore describes the origin of his interest in strings:
“Undoubtedly the source of my stringed figures was the Science Museum ... I was fascinated by the mathematical models I saw there, which had been made to illustrate the difference of the form that is half-way between a square and a circle. It wasn’t the scientific study of these models but the ability to look through the strings as with a bird cage and to see one form within another which excited me.”
‘Stringed Figure’ demonstrates the influence of these models in the way the tautness of the wire contrasts with the rounded contours of the polished bronze figure. It encloses and intersects the interior space, still allowing air to travel through the form. Above all, the presence of the strings disrupts the gaze of the viewer, provoking an awareness of the space both within and surrounding the sculpture. The strings also form a tie between the various peaks and troughs of the human-like form, uniting the two concepts into one flowing entity.
Inquiry: Info.seoul@sothebys.com
About the Artist
Henry Moore stands as one of the most transformative figures in 20th-century sculpture, a visionary whose work redefined the parameters of modern art. His signature semi-abstract forms, often rendered in bronze and stone, are celebrated for their organic fluidity and profound engagement with the human figure.
Born in Yorkshire, he studied at the Leeds School of Art and the Royal College of Art before becoming one of Europe's leading avant-garde sculptors in the 1930s. His career spanned sculpture, drawing, printmaking, and textile design, achieving global recognition in his lifetime and shaping a British sculptural renaissance.
Moore’s works can be found in the collections of globally renowned institutions such as the Henry Moore Foundation in Leeds, Tate Britain in London, the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto, Samsung Collection in Korea, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, among many others.
Born in Yorkshire, he studied at the Leeds School of Art and the Royal College of Art before becoming one of Europe's leading avant-garde sculptors in the 1930s. His career spanned sculpture, drawing, printmaking, and textile design, achieving global recognition in his lifetime and shaping a British sculptural renaissance.
Moore’s works can be found in the collections of globally renowned institutions such as the Henry Moore Foundation in Leeds, Tate Britain in London, the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto, Samsung Collection in Korea, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, among many others.
Henry Moore (b. 1898 -1986, England)
