Henry Moore

Henry Moore  and  AGO

TORONTO

The Art Galery of Ontario is the home of largest public collection of Henry Moore's work.
 141 sculptures, 75 drawings, and 712 prints.
According to Michael Parke-Taylor, long time associate Curator of  Modern Art Galeries of AGO,
Moore's first appearence in Toronto was 1938, the first two sculptures  to be acquired in 1951, and 1955. In 1966  marked by the controversial events surrounded Moore's bronze statue The archer placed in front of City Hall.  The  conservative critics labeled the sculpture as radical example of  Modern Art.
In 1974, The Henry Moore Sculpture Center opened.

"To know one thing, you must know the opposite.”
― Henry Moore

"In my opinion, long and intense study of human figure is the necessary foundation for a sculptor."*

"Simplicity alone, just leaving things out, will not produce monumentality; it may only produce emptiness."*

"..And for me, I collect odd bits of driftwood-anything  I find that has a shape that interests me- and keep it around in that little studio so that  if any day I go in there, or evening, within five or ten minutes of being in that little room there will be something that I can pick up or look  at that would give
me the start for a new idea" *

What I found disappointing was, after seen all wonderfully displayed great sculptures, I run dowstairs to Museum shop hoping to buy the exhibition catalog, instead I 've been offered various Henry Moore publications which did not have anything common with the pieces in the place. Hope curators of the Center feels  the void and bring together well documented  record of their collection as well as smaller

size pamplets for the indivudual exhibitions. Out of large  collections of Moore publications, I found John Hedgescoe's  book as most informative, well organized, extensively surveyed,  and thoughtfully photographed.  

Photos:SMO©2013

* Quotes, are taken from the Book; Henry Moore, A Monumental Vision,  John Hedgecoe.

NOGUCHI

"To fight gravity is a tour de force. The nature of the stone is weight. In a sense
I am led against my better judgement in attemting out of contradictions to draw
new emphasis. The deepest values are to be found in the nature of each medium.
The question is how to transform not destroy this"
ISAMU NOGUCHI

SMO©2012

VOLTRI VII

B. Human beings are so unhappy  that tey would be bored even if they have no reason for boredom, simple because of their nature. They are so vain that with thousands of legitimate reasons for boredom the slightest thing like tapping a billiard ball with a cue is enough to distract them.

Blaise Pascal
Pensees and Other Writings

     Photography :SMO©2008

VOLTRI -VII

David Smith

For a while I thought I lost these pictures,  it must  be few years past since   I took 

them. I remember  it was  summer of 2008.   Couple friends from Argentina were 

in town for a short stay. One day before their  departure we  decided to take a day 

trip to Washington DC, the plan was to see the National Galery and come back at 

same day. After few hours drive from New York, we  arrived DC early afternoon. 

I park the car as close as I can get to  East Galery, I didn't  want to waste any time,

the outside the hot air mixed with high  humidity made our short  walking difficult.

Atrium of the East Galery felt cool and refreshing. Angular stone walls of Atrium

covered with playfull reflections of light coming through skylight  above. Quickly 

we head up to second floor. There I saw the Voltri first time. It had a true presence 

It was a sizeable sculpture,   about 10  feet  long and may be seven feet high, built 

from Iron, yet it seemed weightless. Later, I found out this was one of the twenty-

seven  sculpture David Smith  produced   amazingly short  period of time; during 

the thirty day stay in Spoleto, Italy in 1962.

Below chronological information provided by David Smith Estate

1962-63

Smith is invited by the Italian government to make two sculptures for exhibition in Spoleto during the Fourth Festival of Two Worlds in June 1962. He is offered as his studio a decommissioned Italsider steel factory in Voltri outside Spoleto and provided with a team of steel workers as his assistants. With these resources, Smith makes twenty-seven sculptures in thirty days, using the tools, machines, objects, and materials he found in the Italsider factory. Before returning to Bolton Landing, Smith arranges to have material from the factory shipped to New York. Upon his return, he begins his Voltri-Bolton series (twenty-five sculptures, 1962 to 1963).

BOB GULLEY, NEW YORK

GARGOYLES- STUDY SKETCHES
1986

COSTANTINO NIVOLA 1911-1987

P.S. 46 BROOKLYN , 1959

MEDIUM: CONCRETE  FRESCO

10 PANELS : DIMS. 4'-0" X 6'-3"

MODEL

"SCULPTURED PANELS" 1956

RELIEF, CONCRETE

I.S. 13 MANHATTAN