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Henry Moore's 
first exhibition 
was at the 
Warren Gallery in 
London in 1928. 
In the same year 
he won his first 
major public
commission, a 
relief of the 
"West Wind" for 
the London 
Underground 
headquarters
#
The mother-and-
child theme, like 
that of the 
reclining female 
figure was "an 
absolute 
obsession" for 
Moore. One such 
sculpture was 
described by a 
critic as "both a 
descendant of 
and a challenge to 
a thousand en- 
throned Madonnas, 
including 
Donatello's and 
Michelangelo's"
#
The major 
influence on the 
young Moore - 
deeper than the 
experience of 
war in the 
trenches - was 
his circle of 
gifted and 
influential friends: 
the painter Ben 
Nicholson, the 
sculptor Barbara 
Hepworth, and 
the critic 
Herbert Read
#
Henry Moore's 
Shelter drawings 
showed people 
taking refuge at 
night in London's 
Underground 
stations from 
bombing raids in 
the Blitz. He was 
appointed Official 
War Artist in 
1941. Drawing 
was important to 
Moore, as part of 
his sculptural 
work and, later, 
in its own right
#
When his studio 
in London was 
bombed during 
the second world 
war, Moore 
bought a house in 
Hertfordshire 
which was to be 
his home and 
studio for the rest 
of his life. After 
the war, Moore's 
wife redesigned 
the grounds 
around the studio 
to provide an 
outdoor setting 
for his sculpture
#
In the early days 
of his career 
Moore had been 
unable to make a 
living from 
sculpture, so he 
supported 
himself by 
teaching. In spite 
of the wealth 
his subsequent 
 success brought 
him, Moore was 
renowned for the 
simplicity of his 
lifestyle and 
hard work
#
By the time of his 
death in 1986, 
Henry Moore's 
work could be 
seen throughout 
the world. Alan 
Bowness, then 
director of the 
Tate Gallery in 
London, said of 
Moore that "Not 
even Michelangelo, 
not even Rodin, 
ever enjoyed such 
an audience. His 
sculpture will 
never be forgotten"
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In 1930 Moore spoke of "recognising the material" in which he 
worked. He aimed "to know that sculpture in stone should look 
honestly like stone, that to make it look like flesh and blood, hair
and dimples is coming down to the level of the stage conjurer"
#
Moore said 
sculpture should 
be "strong and 
vital, giving out 
something of the 
energy of the 
mountains"
#
Moore drew 
influences from 
the previous 
generation of 
sculptors. The 
maxim of 'truth 
to material' was 
central to his 
working method, 
and he praised 
the Romanian 
sculptor 
Constantin 
Brancusi for 
making "us once 
more shape-
conscious."
#
As the primitivism 
of the Twenties 
gave way to the 
influence of 
antique and renais-
sance classicism 
of the Fifties, 
Moore's work was 
criticised by 
modernists for 
being too attached 
to the past. Moore's
ex-assistant,
the sculptor 
Anthony Caro, 
wrote of work 
which "fails to 
measure up to 
the outsize scale 
it has been given"
#
Seated groups 
and reclining 
figures were 
always central to 
Moore's work. As 
a human element 
in the landscape, 
often sited in 
gardens or public 
parks, his works, 
in his words, 
"introduced a 
humanising ele-
ment, a mediator 
between the 
modern house and 
the ageless land."
@
Monroe married 
her second 
husband, baseball 
star Joe DiMaggio, 
in 1954. "I 
wonder if I can 
take all your 
crazy publicity", 
he said. He 
couldn't (he 
particularly 
objected to the 
billowing-skirt 
scene from The 
Seven Year Itch), 
and nine months 
later they 
divorced. But 
they remained 
lifelong friends
#
Monroe's third 
husband was the 
famous American 
playwright, 
Arthur Miller. 
One US paper 
headlined the 
announcement of 
their marriage: 
"Egghead weds 
hourglass". Asked 
what the secret 
was of Miller's 
appeal, Monroe 
replied: 
"Everything. 
Haven't you seen 
him?"
#
After her death, rumours spread that Monroe had had affairs with both John Kennedy (centre) and his brother Robert (far left). A friend, the actor Peter Lawford, claimed that she told him to "Say goodbye to Jack [President Kennedy]" on the night of her death
#
The Kennedy 
connection led to 
speculation about 
Monroe's suicide 
- and to the 
allegation that 
she had in fact 
been murdered, 
to cover up her 
relationship with 
the president