Moore / Freud
Two towering figures of the 20th century in conversation, exploring the theme of family.
Moore / Freud will be the first exhibition to explore the distinctive ways in which Henry Moore and Lucian Freud drew upon familial bonds and intimate relationships as crucial sources of artistic inspiration.
Bringing together a focused selection of 20 works, including maquettes, works on paper, and paintings, the exhibition presents two towering figures of the 20th century side by side through a shared and deeply personal theme.
Contemporaries with interlocking social circles – though not closely associated in life – Freud and Moore shared an enduring fascination with the theme of family in their work, albeit interpreted through markedly different styles and approaches. Whilst Moore tended towards abstraction and Freud was deeply engaged with figurative realism, both artists demonstrated a profound sensitivity to human connection and emotional intimacy, sustained throughout their long artistic careers.
For both, ‘family’ was an important and recurring subject. Freud famously and repeatedly portrayed his close friends, lovers, and children, often downplaying the personal nature of these relationships through the titles he chose for his works. The exhibition features a number of Freud’s portraits of his children – Bella, Esther, and Ali.
Moore began to represent the family group in his maquettes and drawings from the 1940s – a theme he recognised as one of the most enduring in art. His wartime Shelter Drawings vividly portray the vulnerability of families huddled together on the platforms of the London Underground in refuge from the falling bombs above, and they also anticipate the more abstracted, organic shapes that would become a signature of his modernist sculptural forms.
Moore / Freud provides a rare opportunity to view two modern masters in the same space, to consider their radically different approaches to a theme that resonates with us all – family.
Supported by The Garcia Family Foundation.
