DES MOINES, IA.- Henry Moore (British 1898 - 1986) is generally acknowledged as one of the greatest sculptors of the 20th century and from the late 1940s has been recognized as the most celebrated artist of his time.

Moore started printmaking in 1931 and was enthralled with the process. In 1958 he met the master lithographer Stanley Jones at Curwen Press with whom he continued to make prints until the end of his life. In his printmaking, as with his sculpture, he was preoccupied with the reclining female form and the mother and child.

This exhibition of lithographs, etchings and mixed media works explores Moore's graphic work relating to his iconic Mother and Child and Reclining Figures series and is the first exhibition of its kind in the United States.

The works included in Exposition Henry Moore span a twenty year period, from 1963-1983, allowing the viewer to experience a wide range of the artist’s working style. Moore’s print work leans more toward figuration and sculptural study, as can be seen in the 18 works on view. Through primarily lithographic and intaglio methods, Moore shows us his process of reducing and abstracting his two most prominent subjects in terms of style, content and form.

Steven Vail admits to be a major fan of Moore’s work and comments: “This is the first time in the United States a non-institutional venue will host an exhibition solely dedicated to the prints of Henry Moore. We were most privileged to work with Osborne Samuels in selecting the prints we wanted to include in our exhibition.”

Works by Henry Moore are in institutional collections around world, including the Art Institute of Chicago, Illinois, Des Moines Art Center, Iowa, Birmingham Museums & Art Gallery, UK, Dallas Museum of Art, Texas, Guggenheim Museum, New York City, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington D.C., National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh, National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Missouri, Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice, Tate Gallery, London, UK, Harvard University Art Museums, Massachusetts, Neuberger Museum of Art, Purchase, New York, San Diego Museum of Art, California, Storm King Art Center, Mountainville, New York and University of Iowa Museum of Art, Iowa.