Henry Moore: Writings and Conversations (Documents of Twentieth Century Art) [Hardcover]

Henry Moore (Author), Alan Wilkinson (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Documents of Twentieth Century Art | Publication Date: April 30, 2002

Henry Moore's writings constitute a vivid and comprehensive record of his life and work, of the influences that shaped his vision, and of his reactions to the work of other artists, periods, and cultures. Spanning some seventy years, Moore's writings and conversations are much more than documentary records of his life and times: they have considerable literary merit in their own right.
This fascinating collection of Moore's written and spoken words is the most comprehensive yet compiled, and contains much previously unpublished material. It includes over 150 illustrations: photographs of the sculptures, drawings and prints discussed in the text, illustrations of works by other artists, and photographs of the sculptor and his environment at various stages of his life.
Henry Moore: Writings and Conversations completes and complements the catalogues of his sculpture, drawings, and prints. It will be indispensable for scholars and engrossing reading for Moore enthusiasts worldwide.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

"For both admirers and students of Henry Moore's work, this book will be a blessing. Moore's humanity and intelligence make this compendium a plea-sure to dip into as well as scholarly and comprehensive."--Roger Berthoud, author of The Life of Henry Moore

"Alan Wilkinson has trawled the rich material with exemplary thoroughness. . .. The nature and purpose of Moore's writing is illuminated. The introduction reflects Wilkinson's long friendship with Moore, and the commentary and notes testify to a remarkable knowledge of the artist's work, his circle and his ideas."--Sir Alan Bowness, editor of the Henry Moore Complete Sculpture Series

From the Back Cover

"For both admirers and students of Henry Moore's work, this book will be a blessing. Moore's humanity and intelligence make this compendium a plea-sure to dip into as well as scholarly and comprehensive."-Roger Berthoud, author of The Life of Henry Moore "Alan Wilkinson has trawled the rich material with exemplary thoroughness . . . . The nature and purpose of Moore's writing is illuminated. The introduction reflects Wilkinson's long friendship with Moore, and the commentary and notes testify to a remarkable knowledge of the artist's work, his circle and his ideas."-Sir Alan Bowness, editor of the Henry Moore Complete Sculpture Series

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: University of California Press; 1St Edition edition (April 30, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0520231600
• ISBN-13: 978-0520231603
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 8.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,952,631 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for any Moore enthusiast, November 27, 2002

By 

J&K (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Henry Moore: Writings and Conversations (Documents of Twentieth Century Art) (Hardcover)

Editor Alan Wilkinson was a close friend of Henry Moore, and it shows in the care he put into editing this book. Other than the introduction, entitled "Perfect Symmetry is Death", Wilkinson allowed Moore to speak for himself by drawing from the man's own words, through interviews, articles, letters, and even scribblings in his notebooks.

The chapters are arranged under the following headings: "Ch. 1: Life and Influences", "Ch. 2: Friends and Colleagues", "Ch. 3: Art and Artists", "Ch. 4: On Sculpture", and "Ch. 5: Works by Henry Moore". Bibliographical sources, list of Moore's most well known work, and a general keyword index can be found in the back.

Because interviews Moore gave in 1973 might refer to events from his childhood, Wilkinson took care to put as much of the artist's words into context by surrounding it with other relevant quotations. For example, on page 35, the passage that begins with "In Castleford, where I was born, there are what called sand holes. They're caves where the sand has been excavated" (1973) is followed by "What is a cave? A cave is a shape. It's not the lump of mountain over it" (1962).

With a foreword by Alan Bowness. Overall, a very compelling read.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More to Moore than inventing the hole, January 9, 2007

By 

Clive Murray-white (Victoria Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Henry Moore: Writings and Conversations (Documents of Twentieth-Century Art) (Paperback)

My interest in this book came about because Henry Moore is often quoted as saying something like "make it! don't talk about it"; given that, how come there is a substantial book of his writing and conversations?

In fairness to Moore most of the entries in this book come from his journals and lecture notes rather than published works.

What makes this book so very interesting is Moore's plain speaking about many of the highly complicated issues of art making.

I was left with the overwhealming feeling that it would be very nice if contemporary art writers abandoned their incomprehensible elitist academic style in favour of Moore's no less intellectual but ifinitely more readable approach.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't pass by!, May 23, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Henry Moore: Writings and Conversations (Documents of Twentieth Century Art) (Hardcover)

The best book available for all Moore fans and those who want to be...