Wednesday, October 7, 2009

More Moore in America

In July, my daughter Alison and I had the opportunity to see the Henry Moore (Large Sculpture) Exhibit at the Atlanta Botanical Garden, and we enjoyed both the Large Sculptures and the Botanical Garden itself. We had one of the few cooler, less humid days of summer and no crowds to distract us from the art and the plant life.

I had seen a Henry Moore exhibit years ago at the Mannheim Art Museum in Germany and greatly admired his large rounded human forms. The Atlanta show had twenty pieces displayed throughout the garden, which seemed the perfect place to show and see them, so different from the modern, white, cold museum in winter. This show was also the largest outdoor exhibition of Moore's works ever shown in America.

Henry Moore (1898-1986) was a British artist and sculptor and is one of the world's best-known and admired 20th-century sculptors. Most of his work is in bronze, and nearly all depict human forms. One of his recurring themes is the mother and child. There is something very appealing about the pieces . . . perhaps it is the whimsical nature of the forms themselves, something like giant crib toys or stuffed pillows, or maybe it is the smoothness and roundedness that is somehow soothing and never threatening.

To see them all, we had to walk all over the garden, which gave us plenty of time to also admire the flowers, trees, and even "wildlife" in the enclosed spaces like the Orchid House. By the end, we had as many or more photos of the garden as we did of the sculptures. The funniest thing we saw was a volunteer fall off her ladder into a lily pond!

I do hope the ABG continues to bring shows like this to the city. It was a highlight of the summer. More Moore, please!

1 comment:

  1. I've seen his stuff. Great art to me! You are doing such neat things in retirement. (Sandra)

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