Henry Moore Artwork Catalogue
Locking Piece
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Speaking a few years after Locking Piece was made, Moore commented that the idea originated from a sawn fragment of bone with a socket and joint that he found in the garden. Moore recognised that bones could have immense strength and were able to create dynamism from within. He commented:
Force, power, is made by forms straining or pressing from inside. Knees, elbows, foreheads, knuckles, all seek to press outwards. Hardness, projection outwards, gives tension, force and vitality.
Such vitality can be seen in the concentrated energy of Locking Piece with its tightly knotted forms around a central void. Its interlocking shapes reminded Moore of children’s puzzles and of stones that locked together and became difficult to prise apart. The twisting nature of the combined forms encourages the viewer to circle the sculpture, which looks different from every angle.Exhibitions
Locking Piece
Date1962-63 cast 1963
Artwork TypeSculpture
Catalogue NumberLH 515 cast 0
Mediabronze
Dimensionsartwork: 292 × 290 × 226 cm
Signature
unsigned, [0/3]
OwnershipThe Henry Moore Foundation: acquired 1987
More InformationHenry Moore selected organic forms as the basis for his most monumental works. In moving away from the human figure he could embrace a non-figurative language and scale resulting in more abstract sculpture.
Speaking a few years after Locking Piece was made, Moore commented that the idea originated from a sawn fragment of bone with a socket and joint that he found in the garden. Moore recognised that bones could have immense strength and were able to create dynamism from within. He commented:
Force, power, is made by forms straining or pressing from inside. Knees, elbows, foreheads, knuckles, all seek to press outwards. Hardness, projection outwards, gives tension, force and vitality.
Such vitality can be seen in the concentrated energy of Locking Piece with its tightly knotted forms around a central void. Its interlocking shapes reminded Moore of children’s puzzles and of stones that locked together and became difficult to prise apart. The twisting nature of the combined forms encourages the viewer to circle the sculpture, which looks different from every angle.
Exhibitions
Published References
Primary/Tertiary
Sculpture Summary/Cast