It’s Studio Sunday! Let’s look inside the studio of sculptor Henry Moore. Moore is well known for his large-scale sculptures made with marble and bronze that have been installed as public art in cities around the world. The sculptures are loosely figurative, often using exaggerated curves and bulbous shapes to give the impression of human bodies in movement. The Art Gallery of Ontario currently houses the world’s largest collection of Moore’s gallery-accessible works.

I love how messy and crowded Moore’s studio appears to be in this photo – it seems that the artist was so busy thinking up new ideas for sculptures that he didn’t have time to tidy. A lot of great artists work this way. Moore’s table seems barely large enough to accommodate all of the artwork on it! But the artist was certainly able to make due.

The room appears fairly small overall. Because of the large nature of Moore’s sculptures, the real thing would probably have been fabricated elsewhere, leaving his studio space as a brainstorming and planning workshop. This is obvious from the many small-scale mock-ups of future sculptures that line the shelves in the back of the room. There are even a few on the floor behind Moore’s chair. These mock-ups are likely made from plaster, which would have been much easier to work with than the final medium of stone or metal. 

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