Reclining Figure
- Artist: Henry Moore OM, CH
- Date: 1951
- Medium: Plaster and string
- Dimensions: object: 1054 x 2273 x 892 mm, 271 kg
- Museum: Tate Britain
- Collection record: Tate Britain website
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About this artwork
This is the “Reclining Figure” by Henry Moore. Created in 1951, it started as a plaster model for a bronze that would later be cast in an edition of five. The sculpture came about when the Arts Council invited Moore to propose a piece for the South Bank site of the Festival of Britain; while others suggested a family motif, he went for a tense, skeletal form.
The figure sits on its side, limbs spread in a relaxed pose that still feels poised. Its long torso is exaggerated, giving a sense of weight and repose. The material – plaster with thin string elements – hints at the underlying structure before the bronze was added.
Moore finished it as a standalone work, presented by him in 1978. It sits on display in Tate Britain’s modern and contemporary British art section, offering visitors a glimpse into his early explorations of volume and gesture.
See it in person
Reclining Figure 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.
