Last updated: 26 October 2026
Henry Moore is the Yorkshire-born sculptor of reclining figures and monumental bronzes, and one of the best-known British artists of the 20th century. Here you will find our take on his work, where to see Henry Moore sculpture now (much of it free), original lithographs you can buy, recent auction results and our review of his 2026 Kew show.
Our take on Henry Moore
Moore wanted his sculpture outdoors. “Sculpture is an art of the open air,” he wrote in a 1951 Tate catalogue, quoted by the Henry Moore Foundation. “I would rather have a piece of my sculpture put in a landscape, almost any landscape, than in, or on, the most beautiful building I know.”
That is why Kew suits him so well. I gave Monumental Nature 5/5: thirty large works across the Gardens, and the sculptures look as though they grew there. It is the show his work has always deserved.
Original Henry Moore prints are easier to own than his bronzes. The Henry Moore Foundation shop sells lithographs from £1,250, while a bronze Head made £448,000 at Christie’s this month. His auction record, £26.3m for King and Queen at Christie’s in March 2026, was reported by HENI News.
Henry Moore: the essentials
- Born in Castleford, Yorkshire, on 30 July 1898, the seventh of eight children, and died at his home in Perry Green, Hertfordshire, on 31 August 1986, according to the Henry Moore Foundation timeline.
- Served in the British Army in France in the First World War, then studied at Leeds College of Art and, from 1921, the Royal College of Art.
- Became an official war artist in 1941 after showing his drawings of Londoners sheltering in the Underground.
- Won the International Sculpture Prize at the 1948 Venice Biennale and turned down a knighthood in 1950. He was made a Companion of Honour in 1955 and received the Order of Merit in 1963.
- Set up the Henry Moore Foundation in 1977. It runs his former home and studios at Perry Green and the Henry Moore Institute in Leeds.
- Tate lists 630 works by him in its collection.
Where to see Henry Moore sculpture now
- Now on: Henry Moore: Monumental Nature, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, 9 May 2026 to 31 January 2027, included with garden entry. From 1 November an adult off-peak ticket is £17 online, per Kew. Read our review.
- Now on: Henry Moore and more, four Moore sculptures with new commissions, Wakehurst, West Sussex, 5 June 2026 to 23 May 2027, included with garden entry.
- Free to see: The Arch in Kensington Gardens, Large Standing Figure: Knife Edge in Greenwich Park and Knife Edge Two Piece opposite Parliament in Westminster, all outdoors. Three Points is on display at Tate Modern.
- Henry Moore Studios & Gardens, Perry Green, closed for the winter on 25 October 2026. The 2026 season included The Shelter Drawings 1940–1941. Dates for 2027 are not out yet; adult tickets were £23 this year.
- Beyond the Visual, a group show including Moore, Henry Moore Institute, Leeds, 8 November 2025 to 19 April 2026.
Recent Henry Moore auction results
Market signals
Averages over the last 36 months, in US dollars
Figures from the Artsy price database. Last checked: 26 October 2026.
Moore’s market runs from prints in the hundreds to bronzes in the millions, with around 93 lots a year at auction. Three recent results show the range:
- Head, conceived 1984, bronze, numbered 3/9, 62.2 cm (24 1/2 in) high. Sold for £448,000 against an estimate of £400,000 to £600,000 at Christie’s London, Modern British and Irish Art Evening Sale, 21 October 2026.
- Seated Nude: Half-Figure, 1928, ink, charcoal and watercolour on paper, 35.4 x 38.7 cm (13 7/8 x 15 1/4 in). Sold for £6,400 against an estimate of £6,000 to £8,000 at Christie’s London, Modern British and Irish Art Day Sale, 22 October 2026.
- Large Reclining Figure and Small Motifs, 1967, lithograph, artist’s proof IV/X, image 27.9 x 36.8 cm (10 7/8 x 14 1/2 in). Sold for £710 against an estimate of £300 to £500 at Phillips London, Contemporary Editions online, January 2026.
Prices include buyer’s premium. Last checked: 26 October 2026.
Where to buy Henry Moore prints
The Henry Moore Foundation is the place for originals. Reproductions are cheaper and easy to find:
- Original lithographs, £1,250 to £3,200: from Earthquake in Harbour (£1,250) to Ideas for Metal Sculpture IV (£3,200), at the Henry Moore Foundation shop. The shop does not list sizes or edition numbers, so ask before you buy.
- Studies of Sheep II print, £30: an unsigned open-edition reproduction of his 1972 drawing, 50 x 40 cm (19.7 x 15.7 in), from the Kew shop.
- Henry Moore: Monumental Nature, £35: the Kew exhibition book in hardback, from the Kew shop.
- Shelter drawing prints, from £30: made-to-order reproductions such as Pink and Green Sleepers (1941), from the Tate shop.
Our reviews featuring Henry Moore
- Henry Moore at Kew Gardens review: Monumental Nature (Cool Factor 5/5).
Henry Moore FAQs
Where can I buy an original Henry Moore print?
The Henry Moore Foundation shop sells original lithographs from £1,250. Lithographs also come up at auction, sometimes for under £1,000.
Where can I see Henry Moore sculpture for free?
The Arch in Kensington Gardens, Knife Edge in Greenwich Park, Knife Edge Two Piece in Westminster and Three Points at Tate Modern are all free to see.
How long is the Henry Moore exhibition at Kew on?
Monumental Nature runs until 31 January 2027 and is included with entry to the Gardens.
Is Henry Moore’s house open to visitors?
Henry Moore Studios & Gardens at Perry Green, Hertfordshire, opens from spring to autumn. It closed for 2026 on 25 October, and the 2027 dates have not been announced.
More from CoolCuration
- Anish Kapoor at the Hayward review: another sculptor working at monumental scale.
- Hepworth Wakefield clay at home kit: try modelling your own small sculpture.
- Gifts for artists: our edit of presents for people who make things.
- Best affordable art in the UK: where to start collecting without auction prices.
Think we’re missing something, got something wrong, or want to be featured? Contact us.
Main image: Henry Moore in his studio, 1975. Photo: Allan Warren, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and framed by CoolCuration. Exhibition dates, prices and auction results last checked: 26 October 2026.
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