This work is the result of an experiment Moore made when facing the challenge of placing his sculpture in an architectural setting. The Wall was intended as a background for a sculpture, to form a visual barrier between the sculpture and the architecture. It is closely related to a number of smaller sculptures Moore made in the late 1950s of figures seated in front of walls. The flat plane of the wall is broken up and made more visually interesting with holes and strong textured areas. In some examples the walls are curved dramatically. While this idea worked on a small scale, Moore found that larger sculptures were more successful without a walled background, and so abandoned the idea.

Edition summary
Bronze edition of 1+1 artist's copy, 1962
Foundry: Art Bronze Foundry (Gaskin’s), London
 
Current or last known owner - click on the 'related' tab below to find out more about specific works
cast 0 (artist’s copy): The Henry Moore Foundation: gift of the artist 1977
cast 1: private collection
 
plaster, 1962: destroyed