Leamington exhibition gives you Moore

Henry Moore In the Arts Council Collection will run at the gallery from Thursday to Sunday April 15.

Moore is one of Britain’s most celebrated and pioneering modern artists and is a key figure for the Arts Council Collection.

He was an important advisor to the acquisitions committee during the early 1950s, shaping the sculpture collection by advocating the acquisition of a significant group of post-war British sculpture by artists including Kenneth Armitage, Lynn Chadwick and Barbara Hepworth.

Moore’s representation within the Arts Council Collection is very strong with sculptures and works on paper spanning five decades.

This display brings together the Collection’s complete holdings of eleven sculptures and fifteen works on paper, spanning 50 years.

Seen together, for the first time in their entirety the works provide a succinct history of Henry Moore’s practice between 1929 and 1962, with key creative developments and themes visible in both two and three dimensions.

The first work by Moore to be acquired was a drawing, Seated Figure, which was purchased in 1948.

Other purchases soon followed, and in 1963, the Arts Council Collection was greatly enhanced by the acquisition of eight drawings and seven sculptures following an Arts Council touring exhibition of his work.

This was a coup for the Collection, and the works have been displayed time and time again in the UK and overseas to much acclaim.

The exhibition opened at Longside Gallery at Yorkshire Sculpture and following its presentation at Leamington Spa Art Gallery & Museum will tour to another five venues within the UK in 2012 and 2013.

Alongside the exhibition there will be a continuous screening of the historic film Art Is The Expression Of Imagination And Not The Imitation Of Life.

This documentary about Moore was produced by John Read and first broadcast on television in 1951.

It introduces Moore’s approach to modern abstract sculpture.

Sculpture co-ordinator Laura Robinson, from the Arts Council Collection, will give an introduction to the exhibition on Friday from 1pm to 2pm.

This free event is part of the art gallery’s Friday Focus programme.

There is no need to book.