Henry Moore: Sculptural Process and Public Identity

ISBN 978-1-84976-391-2

Henry Moore Letter to Kenneth Clark 28 February 1951

Henry Moore 'Letter to Kenneth Clark' 28 February 1951
Henry Moore
Letter to Kenneth Clark 28 February 1951
Tate Archive TGA 8812/1/3/2117
During February and March 1951 Henry Moore made his first and only visit to Greece, to attend the opening of his solo exhibition held at the Zappeion Gallery in Athens. In this letter to the Clarks he records his pleasure at the news of the favourable reception of a lecture by Sir Kenneth Clark on his work at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and his delight at seeing the Parthenon for the first time: ‘The Acropolis is wonderful – more marvellous than ever I imagined ... it's the greatest thrill I have ever had.’

Transcript

[Letterhead:]
                                       BRITISH EMBASSY.
                                       ATHENS.
[Handwritten:]
                                       Wednesday. Feb 28th.
Dear K and Jane,
 I’ve just got a letter from Monroe Wheeler which begins – “Just a line to tell you that K’s lecture on you at the Museum last night was a triumph. I have never heard so much applause for an art lecture” – I’m delighted of course.
 I expect you are both back at Upper Terrace now – we’ve been in Athens two days – and I can’t imagine what rain is like – We’ve got clear blue skies and a temperature like July –
 The Acropolis is wonderful – more marvellous than ever I imagined – the Parthenon against a blue sky – the sunlight and the scale it gets against the distant mountains can’t be given by any photograph – It’s the greatest thrill I’ve ever had –
 I’ll write again – if only a pc.
 Love to you both
              Henry, / and Irina

How to cite

Henry Moore, Letter to Kenneth Clark, 28 February 1951, in Henry Moore: Sculptural Process and Public Identity, Tate Research Publication, 2015, https://www.tate.org.uk/art/research-publications/henry-moore/henry-moore-letter-to-kenneth-clark-r1145514, accessed 03 December 2024.