Mother and Child
- Artist: Henry Moore OM, CH
- Date: 1953, cast c.1954
- Medium: Bronze on wooden base
- Dimensions: object: 530 x 270 x 345 mm, 16 kg
- Museum: Tate Britain
- Collection record: Tate Britain website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
This is *Mother and Child* by Henry Moore, a bronze cast from around 1954 on a wooden base. The sculpture measures 530 × 270 × 345 mm and weighs about 16 kg—an impressive scale for a figure pair that still feels intimate.
Moore’s recurring exploration of mother‑child relationships reaches a darker vein here. In the work, the figures are rendered with jagged edges that give each silhouette a sharp, almost angular quality. The posture has the mother holding the child at arm's length, a gesture Moore described as “as though they want to devour their parent... as though the parent had to hold the child.” This tension between nurturing and menace is carried in every crack of the bronze surface.
The jagged style isn’t merely decorative; it amplifies the menacing feel of both figures and highlights how their postures echo one another. The composition invites viewers to consider the complex, sometimes uneasy side of rearing a child, as if the two were already locked into an invisible struggle.
Because the bronze was cast in 1953–54, you can see subtle details like the small hand grips and the slightly raised head on each figure—little cues that hint at intent. The wooden base grounds the piece, giving it a solid yet earthy foundation that contrasts with the polished metal of the figures.
Overall, *Mother and Child* is an evocative statement about family dynamics, captured in rich bronze texture and expressive form.
See it in person
Mother and Child 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.
