When Moore presented this piece to Tate he explained that animals had always interested him as a subject for sculpture because they posed entirely different problems from the sculptor of the human figure. He liked them above all for their energy and vitality. In Headless Animal he was concerned primarily with the body and legs of the imaginary creature and felt the sculpture would look better without a head, focussing attention solely on the rhythmic form of the torso.
Gallery label, February 2010
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