Kew Gardens has launched its largest-ever outdoor exhibition dedicated to the work of British sculptor Henry Moore, showcasing a range of his monumental sculptures thoughtfully integrated across the famed botanical landscape. The exhibition, titled *Henry Moore: Monumental Nature*, opened this week and will run until January 31.

Visitors can experience a fresh perspective on Moore’s art by viewing pieces like the nine-metre fibreglass “Large Reclining Figure,” positioned near the Great Pagoda. The surrealist sculpture features a cleft head and bone-like limbs, juxtaposed strikingly against the 18th-century chinoiserie details of the pagoda, including painted carved dragons. Nearby, works such as the tall, pierced bronze “Large Interior Form” and the weathered “Sheep Piece”—whose hollows serve as shelter for visiting goslings in spring—engage with the surroundings in both visual dialogue and natural interplay.

The exhibition further highlights Moore’s ability to draw from organic shapes and natural forms. “Double Oval,” an inviting bronze sculpture with textured surfaces suggesting growth rhythms, offers visitors the chance to walk inside, framing views of the Palm House and Syon Vista extending to the Thames River. Other sculptures, including “Hill Arches” and reclining figures like “Reclining Mother and Child,” evoke geological forms such as boulders and caves, blending a figurative approach with impressions of landscape.

Though Moore expressed a preference for placing his work in varied natural settings rather than buildings, the manicured, highly curated environment of Kew Gardens provides a unique backdrop. His sculptures often form visual conversations with the gardens’ historic features: “Two Piece Reclining Figure No 2” echoes the tapering tip of the Great Pagoda, while “Large Totem Head,” resembling a seed or pod, emerges strikingly from dense foliage. The “Upright Motive” group, suggestive of prehistoric stone formations, is positioned near intricate topiary on the Great Broad Walk Borders, prompting viewers to consider what is more sculpted—the bronzes or the plants.

Moore’s modernist forms also contrast sharply with the Victorian Gothic and classical architecture around Kew’s glasshouses. Sculptures such as “Two Piece Reclining Figure: Cut,” with its vertical and horizontal body sections separated by a void, and “Three Piece Sculpture: Vertebrae,” a tense trio of interlocking bronzes inspired by bones, create confrontations that challenge traditional notions of order and beauty. “Draped Reclining Figure” (1952-53), sited by King William’s Temple, serves as a poignant anti-heroic statement, drawing from Moore’s wartime drawings of Londoners sheltering in Tube stations and inspired by pre-Columbian chacmool figures.

The exhibition also emphasizes Moore’s global influences, encompassing archaic art, natural elements, European modernism—including echoes of 1920s Picasso—and subtle references to classical sculpture, as seen in works inspired by “Winged Victory of Samothrace.” This mosaic of sources resonates with Kew’s own layered history, shaped by Enlightenment scientific inquiry, imperial exploration, and systematic collection. The garden’s classical architecture and artworks, such as a copy of Verrocchio’s “Boy with a Dolphin” and sculptures of Flora and Sylvanus, underscore themes of authority and order that Moore’s modernist works at times disrupt.

Inside Kew’s exhibition galleries, visitors can explore Moore’s artistic evolution from the 1930s, including his experiments with materials such as alabaster, African wonderstone, terracotta, and elmwood. This indoor display complements the outdoor installations, presenting a broad view of Moore’s creative depth.

*Henry Moore: Monumental Nature* invites repeat visits as the changing seasons alter the interplay of light, shadow, and natural context surrounding the sculptures, underscoring both the enduring relevance of Moore’s work and the dynamic character of Kew Gardens itself.