London – Leaders in British sculpture, Henry Moore (1898-1986) and Lynn Chadwick (1914-2003) have long been celebrated for their exploration of the human form. Impressive examples by both artists lead Bonhams' Modern British Art sale on 22 November in New Bond Street, London. Head by Henry Moore has an estimate of £2,200,000-2,600,000, and Cloaked Figure IX by Lynn Chadwick has an estimate of £350,000-550,000.

Also leading the sale, Dancers by Duncan Grant (1885-1978) comes to the auction market for the first time, with an estimate of £120,000-180,000. The work was acquired by Lord Kennet from the Second Post-Impressionist Exhibition in 1912.

Henry Moore: Head

Head is one of a number of small sculptures Moore made in the early 1930s from ironstone. Depicting a female head, the work is unusual within Moore's body of art, its slender form and strong profile contrasting with many of his other sculptures which emphasise volumetric mass. The work, which measures 7 inches, including the marble base, is the result of a holiday trip to the coast of Norfolk in 1930 that Moore took with fellow sculptors Barbara Hepworth and John Skeaping. That year, inspired by the ironstone pebbles which lined the shores, Moore produced roughly six sculptures, including two heads in profile.

Lynn Chadwick: Cloaked Figure IX

At over 6 feet tall, Cloaked Figure IX is one of Chadwick's largest single figures. The structured cloak, which envelopes the figure captures Chadwick's unique approach to sculpture as one of construction rather than modelling. Celebrated for his abstract bronze figures, Chadwick's work is held in museum collections around the world including MoMA in New York, Tate Modern in London, and the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris.

Ingram Reid, Bonhams Head of Sale, commented: "Working in two very different scales, Moore and Chadwick both question ideas of materiality. Carved from a rounded ironstone pebble collected at Happisburgh beach in Norfolk, Henry Moore's Head epitomises his adherence to the idea that the material itself should determine the sculpture's final form. Meanwhile Chadwick captures the nature of bronze, both its versatility and hardness once cast. Cloaked Figure IX evokes this tension perfectly-- the figure held in a moment of watchful stillness whilst the structured cloak almost billows out behind. These are two exceptional works by two masters of 20th century sculpture."

Duncan Grant: Dancers

Coming to the auction market for the first time, another highlight of the sale is Dancers by Duncan Grant (British, 1885-1978) which has an estimate of £120,000-180,000. The work was acquired from the Second Post-Impressionist Exhibition in 1912, organised by art critic and Bloomsbury group member Roger Fry. This was the second of two exhibitions which introduced Post-Impressionism to the UK. Together they are considered among the most influential exhibitions staged in Britain in the 20th Century and changed the course of Modern Art in this country. The work has remained in the same private family collection ever since. Bonhams currently holds the world-auction record for a work by Duncan Grant at £327,900 for Vanessa Bell in a Yellow Shawl which sold in November 2022. For more information about the work, click here.

Other highlights of the sale include:

• Peter Lanyon (British, 1918-1964), Still Air, 1961, oil on canvas. Estimate: £120,000-180,000

• William Roberts R.A. (British, 1895-1980), Parson's Pleasure (On the Lawn), circa 1944, oil on canvas. Estimate: £100,000-150,000

• Dame Elisabeth Frink R.A. (British, 1930-1993), Leonardo's Dog II, conceived in 1992, bronze with a black patina. Estimate: £100,000-150,000

• Laurence Stephen Lowry R.A. (British, 1887-1976), Man Looking at Something, 1961, oil on board. Estimate: £80,000-120,000

• Dame Barbara Hepworth (British, 1903-1975), Untitled, 1946, pencil and gouache on gesso-prepared board. Estimate: £60,000-80,000

30 October 2023