MÜNSTER.- The LWL-Museum für Kunst und Kultur in Münster is dedicating a survey exhibition to the British sculptor Henry Moore (1898 – 1986), the most extensive in Germany for 18 years. “Henry Moore. A European Impulse” (11 November 2016 – 19 March 2017) is also focusing on the mutual inspiration between Moore and 16 other European artists. 40 years after Moore’s last visit to Münster, the “Picasso of sculpture” returns to the Landschaftsverband Westfalen-Lippe’s art museum.

“With this exhibition we are creating a joint precedent for cultural work in Europe, which will hopefully enable further such fruitful collaborations that are the lifeblood of culture, even after the implementation of the Brexit plan”, is how Dr Barbara Rüschoff-Thale, Head of LWL Cultural Department, described this first collaboration between the Tate in London and the LWL-Museum in Münster.

64 objects arrived from the Tate, which owns the second largest Moore collection in the world. The selection of the loaned Moore exhibits has been made by Dr Chris Stephens from Tate, as one of the two curators. In close collaboration with the curator of the LWL-Museum für Kunst und Kultur, Dr Tanja Pirsig-Marshall, an in-depth examination of Moore’s works reveals the influences of other artists, but in particular the effect his work had on fellow artists.

Seven months before Skulptur Projekte 2017 the museum is honouring Moore’s work and influence, an artist who had already been represented, by two works on paper, in the first edition of this exhibition in public spaces. “Moore produced specific works where necessary, and created schemes where possible. In doing so he became a catalyst for impulses and discussions that inspired numerous European artists. Personally, it has been my goal to shed light on the Moore phenomenon, a good six months before the upcoming Skulptur Projekte”, said Dr Hermann Arnhold, the director of the LWL-Museum für Kunst und Kultur, according to whom the juxtaposition with 16 other artists clearly demonstrates how Moore’s works were consciously absorbed by his contemporaries who integrated his impulses into their own practices.

120 exhibits, including modelled and carved sculptures as well as works on paper, on show across approximately 1,000 square metres, highlight the mutual interrelationships between the artists represented. Alongside works by Moore the exhibition is also putting on display works by Theo Balden, Willi Baumeister, Joseph Beuys, Michael Croissant, Karl Hartung, Bernhard Heiliger, Norbert Kricke, Markus Lüpertz, Brigitte Meier-Denninghoff, Toni Stadler and Hans Uhlmann. Works of art are also being shown by artists who inspired Moore and with whom he had an on-going dialogue, such as Hans Arp, Alberto Giacometti, Barbara Hepworth, Henri Laurens and Pablo Picasso.

The cultural support of the British Council assisted Moore in obtaining the numerous exhibitions and sales which promoted his world-wide renown. He took part in documenta in Kassel four times and outside sculptures in many of the world’s metropolises testify to his popularity.

Moore’s large-scale bronze sculpture “Large Vertebrae” has been installed in Münster next to Lake Aa since 1977. As part of the present exhibition it is being complemented by temporarily installed monumental outdoor sculptures on the museum’s two squares. The loans from Berlin, Recklinghausen and Wuppertal are symbols of art in public spaces, which Moore had already been pioneering during the 1950s. Urban planners, the general populace and artists responded – not only in verbal discussion – to the installation of his work in urban locations. These loans convey essential aspects of the history of their reception.

An extensively illustrated catalogue for the exhibition is being published by Hirmer Verlag, with contributions by Chris Stephens, Markus Müller, Tanja Pirsig-Marshall and Christa Lichtenstern, in German and English. A likewise bilingual audio guide is available to visitors.

During the exhibition, guided tours and workshops will be inviting visitors to further examine Moore’s works. Special guided tours and seminars are also being provided for teachers, kindergartens and schools.

The exhibition is a collaboration between Tate and the LWL-Museum für Kunst und Kultur in Münster.