Henry Moore: An Illustrated Biography

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Dedicated to Moore and his wife, and prepared with the assistance of the Henry Moore Foundation, this bland illustrated portrait by London's Financial Times art critic has the look and voice of an official biography. From Moore's happy days as a well-rounded schoolboy, the narrative hops to his successful career, to his current reign as the grand old man of the British art world where he ``stands alone on his eminence.'' We learn that Moore's wife was ``spectacularly attractive'' when they met. Packer devotes only a few pages to the decisive influences on Moore's styleprimitive art, Mexican sculpture and African art (here referred to as ``Negro sculpture''). He sets down Moore's own mellow recollections, sometimes to good effect, but there is little sense of the artist's inner struggle. Written in journalistic prose, this showcase contains only sketchy criticism of Moore's sculpture and leaves the reader guessing about the impact of personal or political events on his primal style. December 16