Moore & Malaparte: Exploring the rhythmic interplay between two masters

INSPIRED BY | MASTERS & MUSES | WORLD OF CABANA

As Gagosian Paris unveils an exhibition exploring the rhythmic interplay between the work of British sculptor Henry Moore and Italian writer Curzio Malaparte, Emma Becque speaks with Zoë Santa-Olalla, Director of Gagosian, about Moore's organic vision, enduring influence, and the natural world's abundant influences on both masters.

BY EMMA BECQUE | MASTERS & MUSES | 21 FEBRUARY 2025

Henry Moore carving in his studio, c.1950 © Felix H. Man

Few artists have shaped the landscape of modern sculpture, as profoundly as Henry Moore. Known for his monumental forms, undulating silhouettes, and deep reverence for nature, Moore's work has become synonymous with a post-war vision of human resilience and organic aesthetics.

While the artist is often associated with grand, monolithic outdoor works, Gagosian’s Paris exhibition, Moore & Malaparte: Rhythm and Form, shifts the focus to an entirely different scale. Presenting 20 small-scale sculptures displayed on consoles designed by Italian writer, Curzio Malaparte, the exhibition highlights the rhythmic interplay between the artist's forms and Malaparte's architectural vision, “...placing Henry Moore's works in conversation with Malaparte's aesthetic," says Zoe Santa-Olalla, a Director at Gagosian.

Henry Moore Stringed Figure © The Henry Moore Foundation. Photography by Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd Courtesy Gagosian.

For Henry Moore, nature was a source of inspiration and a guiding principle in his process. “During his career Moore amassed a collection of objects that inspired many of his drawings and sculptures, including pieces of wood, flint, bone, shells and pebbles, which he collected on walks near his home and brought back to his studio,” explains Santa-Olalla. "He called these his 'library of natural forms'".

These organic objects became the foundation for many of his maquettes, some of which evolved into large-scale works. This relationship between the found object and the sculpted form—a dance between nature and the hand of the artist - defined his practice, creating pieces grounded in the earth and suggestive of human presence.

Henry Moore Reclining Figure, 1945, Bronze © The Henry Moore Foundation. Photo: Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd; Courtesy Gagosian.

Moore's thematic preoccupations remain strikingly consistent across decades: the reclining figure, the mother and child, and the abstraction of the human form into elemental masses. Reclining Figure 1945 encapsulates Moore's desire to open out his sculpture and introduce cavities into the solid form of the body. “The weaving of positive and negative space invites new rhythms, as well as a variety of forms and surfaces when seen from different viewpoints". 

Another key work, Two-Piece Reclining Figure: Maquette No. 2 (1961), furthers this exploration, breaking the body into separate components, a testament to Moore's evolving abstraction. "He's gone from opening up the form to fully separating the torso and legs—it's a rawer, more elemental interpretation."

The artist himself spoke of the endless sources of form found in nature: "There is in nature a limitless variety of shapes and rhythms from which the sculptor can enlarge his form-knowledge experience," Moore said. This idea is central to his practice—sculpture is an extension of natural forces shaped by the artist's hand and the organic world. His approach was deeply material-driven, from the rough-hewn surfaces of his early carvings to the patinated bronze works that absorbed and reflected their environments.

Curzio Malaparte was responsible for one of the greatest integrations of modern architecture and the environment. Casa Malaparte, his home on Punta Massullo, Capri, is an extension of the landscape upon which it is dramatically staged, and the furniture he designed for his home, with their undulating surfaces, echoes the rhythm and materiality of the setting.

Henry Moore, Reclining Figure, 1945 (cast 1962) (detail), bronze. Right: Detail of original walnut and tuff console table conceived in 1941 by Curzio Malaparte © The Henry Moore Foundation; © Malaparte; Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd (left); Dariusz Jasak (right).

Tommaso Rositani Suckert, Malaparte’s youngest descendant, began making reproductions of the Casa Malaparte furniture in 2019, working with the same materials— glass, tuff stone, and walnut — and the finest local artisans who understand the idiosyncrasies of the materials. 

“Malaparte worked with local people in Capri to build the house,” says Rositani Suckert. “I felt it was important to maintain that aspect of the legacy. We must balance the organic nature of the materials with the required knowledge of how to manipulate them. These are objects in which the natural processes of wood are consciously taken to the extreme, in the processing, assembly of the furniture, as well as in the finish.”

These pieces reflect the artisans' deep appreciation and understanding of the organic material, honoring its natural qualities while demonstrating exceptional skill in shaping it, notes Rositani Suckert. "Balancing the inherent nature of the wood with the expertise required to manipulate it, these objects intentionally push the boundaries of natural processes—through processing, furniture assembly, and finishing techniques.”

Casa Malaparte represents a beacon of modernist architecture. The residence’s sculptural physicality and situational vibrancy extends to its furniture, which in turn allows Malaparte’s designs to reach far beyond the Neapolitan promontory into homes worldwide. Moore's legacy endures through the Henry Moore Foundation, which preserves his home, studio and archives, located in Perry Green, Hertfordshire.

"Despite his international success, he lived relatively modestly," Santa-Olalla reflects" is studio is filled with the objects he collected—stones, driftwood, bones—reminders of his process." The foundation continues to support contemporary sculpture through grants, exhibitions, research and an extensive archive, ensuring that Moore's legacy benefits future generations.

Moore & Malaparte: Rhythm and Form is on view at Gagosian, Rue de Castiglione, Paris, through March 27 2025.