Tea Table

1929–1940

A studio in Hampstead, “a nest of gentle artists”

Soon after the wedding the couple moved to a studio at 11a Parkhill Road in Hampstead, joining a colony of avant-garde artists: Hepworth and her husband Ben Nicholson lived around the corner, along with Naum Gabo, Roland Penrose, Cecil Stephenson and the critic Herbert Read, who called the area “a nest of gentle artists”.

1930s

Paris: Picasso, Braque, Arp, Giacometti

Moore, Hepworth and other members of the Seven and Five Society moved steadily towards abstraction, partly through frequent trips to Paris and contact with Picasso, Braque, Jean Arp and Alberto Giacometti.

1934

Spain: the cave of Altamira

In 1934 Moore visited Spain, seeing the cave of Altamira, which he called the “Royal Academy of Cave Painting”, as well as Madrid, Toledo and Pamplona.

1936

The London International Surrealist Exhibition

In 1936 Moore joined the group of surrealist artists founded by Roland Penrose and served as honorary treasurer of the organising committee of the London International Surrealist Exhibition.

1937–1939

The row over “Mother and Child” in Penrose’s garden

In 1937 Roland Penrose bought an abstract stone Mother and Child from Moore and put it in the front garden of his Hampstead house. Neighbours objected and the local press campaigned against it for two years; at this time Moore was gradually moving from direct carving to bronze casting.

1938

Meeting Kenneth Clark

Moore met Kenneth Clark for the first time; Clark became an unlikely but influential champion of his work and, through his place on the Arts Council of Great Britain, secured exhibitions and commissions for him.