Henry Moore’s bronze Reclining Figure, created in 1969-1970, will be highlight at Christie’s Impressionist and Modern Art Evening Sale, scheduled for November 5th. Measuring over 11 feet, this is the largest single-piece sculpture on this theme which Moore ever created. This monumental bronze will be prominently displayed outside at Christie’s plaza in Rockefeller Center in the weeks leading up to the sale, and is estimated to fetch $6-8 million. The sculpture is being sold by a Distinguished Collection, where it has resided for 35 years.
“We are thrilled to kick-off two weeks celebrating the very best art of the twentieth century by installing Henry Moore’s Reclining Figure on Rockefeller Plaza. In this work, Moore expertly balanced the figurative and the abstract to captivating effect—the mere silhouette of a body is visible, overshadowed by its resplendent curves. Reclining Figure is an icon by one of the greatest of all Modern sculptors, and as such, a fitting partner to Jeff Koons’ Balloon Dog (Orange) that will replace it on the Plaza the following week,” said Brooke Lampley, Head of Department, Impressionist & Modern Art.
An intense demand for exceptional works by Henry Moore has been confirmed so many times when the prices for his artworks have soared in recent years. The last example was in February 2012 at Christie’s London where Moore’s monumental bronze, Reclining Figure: Festival, 1951, sold for an unexpected £19.1 million ($30.1 million) against a £3.5 million/5.5 million estimate. The previous high for Moore was £4.3 million ($8.4 million), set by Christie’s London in June 2008 for Draped Reclining Woman, 1957–58. Acquired in New York from Sotheby’s in May 1994 for $2 million, the sculpture was being sold by Sheldon Solow, a New York real estate developer.
