“Oval with Points” by Henry Moore

“Oval with Points” by Henry Moore is an enigmatic abstract sculpture cast in bronze. The sculpture is a modulating oval ring with rounded edges.

The inside edge of the large hole has two protrusions rising from the sides and narrowing to sharp points that almost meet at the center of the hole, creating a sense of dynamic tension.

The points divide the hole into two spaces, a smaller one above and a larger one below, like a figure 8. The shape of the space is interpreted as resembling a human form with a head and a torso.

The beginnings of the sculpture can be traced to Moore’s earlier works. Oval with Points is related to other Moore sculptures, which have two points facing outwards rather than inwards. Moore referenced a link in his mind to spark plugs.

Henry Moore found inspiration in natural objects, such as stone with a hole. The work may also draw inspiration from an elephant skull collected in Africa that was given to Moore as a gift.

Moore made a plaster maquette of Oval with Points in 1968, which was then cast in bronze in a series of editions that can be found at:

The Henry Moore Foundation in Perry Green, Hertfordshire
The Henry Moore Sculpture Centre at the Art Gallery of Ontario.
The Museum of Modern Art in New York
The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
The University of California, Los Angeles (displayed in the UCLA School of Medicine building).

In 1969, Moore increased the scale of the sculpture to create a full-size bronze version, which is 332 cm (131 in) high. Morris Singer cast them, and examples of the full-size work are displayed at:

The Henry Moore Foundation, in Perry Green, Hertfordshire
Princeton University
Exchange Square in Hong Kong
Dorrian Commons Park in Columbus, Ohio
Corniche Road in Jeddah
Kunsthalle Bielefeld

Henry Moore

Henry Spencer Moore (1898 – 1986) is best known for his semi-abstract monumental bronze sculptures which are located around the world as public works of art.

His bronze sculptures are usually abstractions of the human figure, typically depicting mother-and-child or reclining figures.

Moore’s works are usually suggestive of the female body, apart from a phase when he sculpted family groups. His forms are generally pierced or contain hollow spaces.

Moore became well known through his carved marble and larger-scale abstract cast bronze sculptures, and a famous modernist artist.