Best-known as one of the most influential and innovative sculptors of the modern era, Henry Moore was also a prolific draughtsman, producing nearly 7,500 drawings over seven decades. Drawing provided Moore with a versatile tool, suitable to develop ideas for sculpture but also independently of it. While for him sculpture was primarily an art of form and space in which colour did not have a particularly prominent role, in his drawings Moore explored the expressive potential of painterly techniques and a much broader palette.

By focusing on this particular aspect of his creative output, Henry Moore in Colour casts new light on this lesser known but enduring aspect of Moore’s art. From the life studies of his student days through to the casual drawings of his late years, these works reveal a deep appreciation of the unique characteristics and possibilities of colour in drawing, expressing a visual imagination that both integrates and enhances Moore’s practice in three dimensions. The exhibition includes examples of his best-known works, such as the large ‘presentation’ drawings from the 1930s and the wartime Shelter drawings, as well as less frequently seen later works. Curated by Sebastiano Barassi, Head of Collections & Programmes, it is a collaboration between the Henry Moore Foundation and The Lightbox Woking.