Henry Moore, O.M., C.H.

John Hedgecoe and Henry Moore, Henry Moore, New York, 1968, photographs of the artist with the marble p. 450
Robert Melville, Henry Moore, Sculpture and Drawings 1921-1969, New York, 1970, no. 729, illustration of the marble p. 319
Alan Bowness, ed., Henry Moore Complete Sculpture, 1964-73, vol. 4, London, 1977, no. 571, illustration of the marble p. 50 and pls. 72 & 73
David Mitchinson, ed., Henry Moore, Sculpture, With Comments by the Artist, New York, 1981, nos. 422 & 423, illustrations of the marble p. 198
Walter John Strachan, Henry Moore Animals, London, 1983, photograph of the artist with the marble p. 7; no. 32, illustration of another cast p. 52; no. 33, illustration of the marble p. 53; pl. VIII, illustration of another cast p. 74
Alan Bowness, ed., Henry Moore Complete Sculpture, 1980-86, vol. 6, London, 1988, no. 571a, illustration of another cast pls. 11 & 12
Alan Bowness, ed., Henry Moore Complete Sculpture, 1980-86, vol. 6 (revised edition), London, 1999, no. 571a, illustration of another cast p. 33 & pl. 34
Henry Moore, Retrospective (exhibition catalogue), Fondation Maeght, Saint Paul, 2002, no. 163, illustration of another cast p. 192

Divided Oval: Butterfly exemplifies Moore’s lifelong preoccupation with the natural world:  “Besides the human form, I am tremendously excited by all natural forms, such as cloud formations, birds, trees and their roots, and mountains, which are to me the wrinkling of the earth’s surface” (quoted in David Mitchinson, ed., Henry Moore: Sculptures, Drawings, Graphics 1921-1981, Madrid, 1981, p. 26).  The butterfly form allowed Moore to explore the sculptural potential of organic shapes and to experiment with multiple perspectives. 

Originally executed in marble in 1967, Divided Oval: Butterfly signified a departure from Moore’s use of reclining figures as a metaphor for the human relationship with nature.  In this work Moore chose instead to capture the essence of this dynamic interdependence by using self-contained form, the central point of tension lying in the union of its organic parts by means of a simple geometric cylinder.  The result is a wonderful sense of fluidity and harmonious balance. 

The aesthetic success of the Divided Oval: Butterfly inspired Moore in 1982 to create a monumental bronze based on the original marble.  The first working model in bronze was cast in 1982 in an edition of six, which included the present work.  The enlarged bronze version (A. Bowness, ed., op. cit., vol. 6, no. 571b), measuring 26 feet 4 inches, adorns Berlin’s Kongressehalle and is one of Moore’s largest bronzes.