- Artist
- Henry Moore OM, CH 1898–1986
- Medium
- Bronze on wooden base
- Dimensions
- Object: 530 × 270 × 345 mm, 16 kg
- Collection
- Tate
- Acquisition
- Presented by the Friends of the Tate Gallery 1960
- Reference
- T00389
Display caption
Moore treated the subject of mother and child repeatedly. This sculpture is one of a group of small bronzes made by the artist during the early 1950s that focus specifically on the relationship between mother and child. During the Second World War Moore's interpretation of the theme emphasised the mother's nurturing role, a response to the human suffering of war. He continued to explore this aspect of the subject in the 1950s. Here he distorts the figures to suggest the submission of the mother to the aggressive needs of the child as it tries to suckle from her breast.
Gallery label, February 2010
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Catalogue entry
Explore
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