Lot Essay
During the 1950s Moore received many commissions for monumental sculptures to be placed in architectural settings, resulting in important projects such as Draped Reclining Figure for the Time-Life Building in London in 1952, and Reclining Figure for the UNESCO headquarters in Paris in 1956. The challenge of relating the figure to its surroundings continued to fascinate the artist and during this period he produced about a dozen maquettes in which the composition consists of the figure against an architectural backdrop.
In Seated Figure on Circular Steps, the curved steps with their horizontal linear design project a mood of intimacy and protection. Unlike the more abstract figures in other variations on this theme, the figure in the present sculpture possesses the fullness of Moore's naturalistic female forms.
In Seated Figure on Circular Steps, the curved steps with their horizontal linear design project a mood of intimacy and protection. Unlike the more abstract figures in other variations on this theme, the figure in the present sculpture possesses the fullness of Moore's naturalistic female forms.