Provenance:
- Private collection, Switzerland.
- Bought at Malborough Gallery, Zurich, 1970s.

Exhibition: Marlborough Fine Art: A Tribute to Henry Moore, London, May to June 1987, no. 35 (a different exemplar).

Literature: Bowness, Alan (editor): Henry Moore, Complete Sculpture 1964 - 1973, vol. 4, no. 604 (a different exemplar).

Sculptures by Henry Moore always represent an abstraction of the human body. In most cases the female figure is the inspiration for his work, thus constituting the initial starting point. With the exception of a few cases where he depicts entire families, his works mostly represent individuals. The present work is a good example of Moore‘s handling of the three-dimensional form. By dividing the figure and creating separation, yet maintaining connection through the succession of points, he creates a tension within the sculpture and new viewing possibilities of the figure.

“I did the first one in two pieces almost without intending to. But after I’d done it, then the second one became a conscious idea. I realised what an advantage a separated two-piece composition could have in relating figures to landscape. Knees and breasts are mountains. Once these two parts become separated you don’t expect it to be a naturalistic figure; therefore, you can justifiably make it like a landscape or a rock. If it is a single figure, you can guess what it’s going to be like. If it is in two pieces, there’s a bigger surprise, you have more unexpected views; therefore the special advantage over painting - of having the possibility of many different views - is more fully exploited.” (Quoted in "Henry Moore's World", Atlantic Monthly, January 1962, p. 44.)
The present work is a small model for the sculpture Two Piece Reclining Figure: Points, produced between 1969-70 in an edition of 7 plus an artist‘s proof. The large sculptures are currently located in the Hofgarten in Dusseldorf, in the Maxvorstadt borough in Munich, in the Royal Botanic Gardens in London and in the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington D.C.