Henry Moore

The Helmet

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About this artwork

This is the first in a long series of sculptures by Moore to feature one form enclosed within another. A strange figure stands inside the helmet which is half-protective and half-menacing. There are several sources for this piece. It relates to Moore's mother-and-child drawings in which the child is protected by the mother's arms. It also relates to his drawings of shells, in which a complex internal structure is contained within a simpler outer form. Moore was also involved with Surrealism at this period, and was influenced by the idea of the mind being an independent 'being' contained within a head. More specifically, in 1937, Moore had made studies of an ancient Greek helmet with eye-like holes pierced in the top.

Updated before 2020

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  • artist:
    Henry Moore (1898 - 1986) English
  • title:
    The Helmet
  • date created:
    1939 - 1940
  • materials:
    Lead
  • measurements:
    29.10 x 18.00 x 16.50 cm (figure size). 15.1kg
  • object type:
  • credit line:
    Purchased with help from the National Heritage Memorial Fund, Art Fund (Scottish Fund) and the Henry Moore Foundation, 1992
  • accession number:
    GMA 3602
  • gallery:
  • subject:
  • glossary:
  • artwork photographed by:
    Antonia Reeve
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Henry Moore

Henry Moore