Accession Number
1966/2.23

Title
Seventeen Reclining Figures with Architectural Background

Artist(s)
Henry Moore

Artist Nationality
British (modern)

Object Creation Date
1963

Medium & Support
color lithograph on paper

Dimensions
22 3/8 in x 31 9/16 in (56.83 cm x 80.17 cm);26 in x 32 1/8 in (66.04 cm x 81.6 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of Jean Paul Slusser

Subject matter
During his career, Moore created a number of works in two- and three-dimensions that depict the reclining figure, including the 1957-58 "Reclining Figure" for the UNESCO headquarters in Paris. This color lithograph depicts the wide variety of poses that Moore deployed in various media. The reclining figure theme can be traced back to the 1920s and the artist's interest in Pre-Columbian sculpture, allied with larger trends of Primitivism, in particular the Chacmool figure from Chichen Itza (Maya), which he claimed to have seen at the British Museum in 1924. In this theme, Moore found a subject matter that reflected an eternal humanity through form. This print shows the multiple variations the form of this theme can take, while still connecting to the enduring humanity that was a typical post-WWII concern for Moore.

Physical Description
Seventeen reclining abstract figures in five rows. Each row's figures are in a different color: top to bottom: green, grey, yellow, orange-red, green. Grey broad brushstrokes loosely cover the background. Print is numbered 64 out of 75.

Primary Object Classification
Print

Collection Area
Modern and Contemporary

Rights
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Keywords
biomorphic abstraction
figures (representations)
humanism
modern and contemporary art
primitivism (artistic concept)
reclining