Lot Essay
In 1948 Henry Moore was commissioned by Lida and Zika Ascher to execute two large silkscreen-printed panels, of which this is one, the other entitled Reclining Figure. They were each produced in a limited edition of thirty and exhibited at the Lefevre Gallery, London, from October to November 1948, alongside two silkscreens of similar scale by Henri Matisse.
After the Lefevre exhibition, the panels were exhibited in art galleries in Britain and abroad, and received widespread coverage in the press. The couturier Hardy Amies made Two Standing Figures a feature of his London flat and was portrayed in front of the panel in an article of the Daily Mail, 17 July 1967.
After the Lefevre exhibition, the panels were exhibited in art galleries in Britain and abroad, and received widespread coverage in the press. The couturier Hardy Amies made Two Standing Figures a feature of his London flat and was portrayed in front of the panel in an article of the Daily Mail, 17 July 1967.