Henry Moore 1898-1986
Warrior without Shield, 1952-3/1956
Bronze
7 5/8 x 3 1/2 x 4 in
19.5 x 9 x 10 cm
19.5 x 9 x 10 cm
Edition 1 of 9
Further images
This piece represents the theme of fragility and the broken body and was created during a time when there remained a keen sense of continued geopolitical unease in consequence of...
This piece represents the theme of fragility and the broken body and was created during a time when there remained a keen sense of continued geopolitical unease in consequence of the pressures of a world suffering post-war trauma. These anxieties were underscored in the wake of the devastation wrought by the atomic bomb and emphasised further by the Cold War. Warrior without Shield continues these themes and is part of a wider series of fallen warriors, whose inspiration ranges from examples of classical statutory to the petrified bodies of Pompei. The figure appears tormented in its dismemberment.
Provenance
Private collection, UKExhibitions
Paris, Berggruen & Cie, Henry Moore: sculptures et dessins, 1957 (another cast);San Diego, Art Center in La Jolla, Henry Moore Exhibition, August 4 - December 1, 1963, no. 56 (another cast), with tour to Santa Barbara Museum of Art and Los Angeles Municipal Art Galleries, Barnsdall Park;
Los Angeles, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Henry Moore in Southern California, 2 October - 18 November 1973, no. 43 (another cast);
Santa Barbara, University of California, The Art Galleries, Sculpture of the 50s, January 6 - April 11, 1976 (another cast)
Literature
Alan Bowness (ed.), Henry Moore, Complete Sculpture Vol.2 (London: Lund Humphries, 1965), no. 358, illustrated p. 52 (another cast);Henry J. Seldis, Henry Moore in America (New York: Praeger, 1973), no. 43, illustrated p. 98 (another cast);
Ben Eastham (ed.), The Worlds of Stephen Spender (London: Hauser & Wirth, 2018)
