Henry Moore: Sculptural Process and Public Identity

ISBN 978-1-84976-391-2

Henry Moore Letter to Adrian Stokes 14 April 1956

Henry Moore 'Letter to Adrian Stokes' 14 April 1956
Henry Moore
Letter to Adrian Stokes 14 April 1956
Tate Archive TGA 8816/237
Adrian Stokes (1902–1972) was an English art critic and poet. He published numerous books on art, notably The Stones of Rimini (1934), in which he discussed modern carving in light of the Renaissance tradition and through the lens of Kleinian psychoanalysis. His book Michelangelo: A Study in the Nature of Art was first published in 1955, and in this letter Moore thanks Stokes for writing such a profound and ‘enthralling’ book about ‘the greatest sculptor there will ever be’.

Transcript

[Handwritten:]
Much Hadham 66                           Hoglands,
                                       Perry Green,
                                       Much Hadham,
                                       Herts.
                                       April 14th / 56.
Dear Adrian Stokes,
 I have just finished reading your “Michelangelo” and I must write to tell you how very much I have enjoyed it. I’ve found it full of profound understanding. I did not expect, at this time, to read anything on Michelangelo so enthralling, showing such new insight into the greatest sculptor there will ever be.
 Don’t bother to answer this note, I only want to thank you for the stimulation and deep pleasure I got from your book.
 With warmest best wishes
           Your sincerely
                  Henry Moore

How to cite

Henry Moore, Letter to Adrian Stokes, 14 April 1956, 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-adrian-stokes-r1145442, accessed 28 March 2024.