Helmet Head and Shoulders
- Artist: Henry Moore OM, CH
- Date: 1952, cast date unknown
- Medium: Bronze on slate base
- Dimensions: object (Incl. base): 190 x 205 x 150 mm, 4 kg
- Museum: Tate Britain
- Collection record: Tate Britain website
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About this artwork
This is “Helmet Head and Shoulders” by Henry Moore, a bronze sculpture on a slate base. Cast in 1952 – the exact cast date remains unknown – presented by the artist in 1978. Moore first turned his attention to helmets in the late 1930s as he approached the Second World War; after the war he revisited the theme with renewed interest. In this work he gives the helmet a hollowed‑out form: asymmetrical curves reveal an interior void, and uneven lines echo debris reclaimed from a battlefield. The sculpture’s scale—about 190 × 205 × 150 mm, 4 kg—makes it intimate yet powerful, encouraging close inspection. When you look at the surface you notice patina and subtle textures that suggest weathered metal. As part of Moore’s larger “helmet” series this piece captures the tension between protection and emptiness that he explored in both pre‑and post‑war work.
See it in person
Helmet Head and Shoulders is in the collection of Tate Britain on Millbank, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
