MOORE, Henry. Henry Moore at the British Museum. With photographs by David Finn. London: British Museum Publications Ltd. 1981.
4to. Original black cloth, gilt lettering to spine, with dustwrapper; pp. 128, illustrated throughout; very good.
First edition, inscribed by Moore and with an accompanying letter to the publisher.
This book, published in conjunction with the major British Museum retrospective of Moore's work, stands as something of an artistic memoir as the sculptor explains how the institution's collection of antiquities informed his own art.
Provenance: the half title is inscribed by Moore to Michael Hoare, the head of British Museum Publications, "with best wishes". Also included is an ALS, on Moore's headed notepaper, from the artist to Hoare dated 9th April 1974, a good seven years before his own exhibition and therefore probably referring to the British Museum exhibition featuring Moore's illustrations of poems by W.H. Auden: "I am glad this exhibition is taking place at the museum, because the B.M. has been so very important in my life and work". Finally, we include two 260 x 200 mm black and white photographs of Moore and Hoare dated 1980, taken outside the British Museum, captioned by hand in ink to the rear.
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