The British Council and the Henry Moore Foundation jointly organised a major exhibition of the work of Henry Moore for China, which was opened in Beijing by the Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott, on Monday 16 October 2000. The grandeur of Moore's sculpture, combined with its feel for natural forms and its essential humanity, will be particularly striking in China, which until recently has remained relatively isolated from Western developments in art. Most extraordinary perhaps, this will be the first time ever that the Chinese have permitted contemporary works of art from the West to be exhibited in one of their most celebrated historic sites. The exhibition is being shown in two separate venues in Beijing: Beihai Park and the China Art Gallery.

In an unprecedented display in the former Imperial Gardens adjacent to the Forbidden City, twelve monumental bronzes on loan from the Henry Moore Foundation are placed around the central lake. The sculptures gradually come into view during a 45-minute walk through spectacular Ming Dynasty settings, encompassing the Five Dragon Pavilions, the Studio of the Rested Heart, the Heavenly King Hall, the Silkworm Altar and a bamboo garden.

Opening one week later than the exhibition in Beihai Park, one of the most comprehensive exhibitions ever undertaken of Moore's sculpture is being shown at the China Art Gallery, Beijing. This exhibition comprises 106 sculptures, of which 98 are on loan from the Henry Moore Foundation, seven from the British Council Collection, and the earliest, a concrete mask of 1926, from Leeds City Art Galleries.

Moore in China will capitalise upon China's fascination with sculpture, much of it commissioned to commemorate aspects of contemporary Chinese history. The placing of public sculpture throughout Chinese cities, both outside major buildings and in specially constructed sculpture parks, is a theme taken up by the exhibition, which makes a special feature of Moore's own interest in the siting and landscape setting of his work. The touring exhibition, which covers the entire span of Moore's sixty-year career, includes important works such as Family Group 1948/49 and King and Queen 1952/53 (which can be exhibited indoors or in the open air), as well as significant groups of carvings, maquettes and working models. Following the showing at the China Art Gallery, the exhibition will be seen in Guangzhou and Shanghai. The monumental sculptures will remain in Beihai Park throughout the run of the touring exhibition.

The touring exhibition is punctuated by showcases and text panels exploring several major themes in Moore's work: stringed sculpture; reclining figures; mother and child; internal/external forms; organic forms; figures and architectural space; two and three piece sculptures; and sculpture in landscape. Many of the found objects (bones, stones, flints, seashells, etc) from the artist's studio in Perry Green will be on display, with a selection of plaster maquettes illustrating Moore's working methods. The Chinese interest in Zen gardens and worn stones form a counterpoint to Moore's interest in similar materials and sites.

Organised by the British Council and the Henry Moore Foundation in collaboration with the Cultural and Education Section of the British Embassy, Beijing, and the China International Exhibition Agency, the exhibition has been commissioned by Andrea Rose, Director of Visual Arts, British Council, Tim Llewellyn, Director of the Henry Moore Foundation and Ding Wei, Cultural Counsellor, the Embassy of the People's Republic of China. It is curated by David Mitchinson, Head of Henry Moore Collections and Exhibitions (The Henry Moore Foundation) and Richard Riley, Curator of Visual Arts (British Council).

Exhibition tour dates:

Shanghai Art Museum, Shanghai 3 March - 15 April 2001

Guangdong Museum of Arts, Guangzhou 19 December 2000 - 11 February 2001

Beihai Park, Beijing 16 October 2000 - 22 April 2001

China Art Gallery, Beijing 24 October - 26 November 2000

For further information please contact Richard Riley