Henry Moore and Czechoslovak Art after 1945

Henry Moore and Czechoslovak Art after 1945 looks at Moore’s influence on Czechoslovak sculpture of the second half of the 20th century within the broader social, political and art-historical context. Through a detailed chronology and two expert studies, it explores the diplomatic framework and other mechanisms involved in the presentation and reception of his art during the Cold War, along with developments in sculpture under the specific conditions of state socialism. The authors interrogate Henry Moore’s stylistic influence and look at the history of his exhibitions in the former Eastern Bloc. The book was published on the occasion of an eponymous exhibition organised in 2024–2025 by the Gallery of Modern Art in Hradec Králové. “Moore influenced the generation of sculptors to which I belong more than anyone else. In the late 1950s he was one of the first world-class sculptors whom we saw through the half-open door after years of isolation.” Olbram Zoubek, “Naši sochaři o Moorovi”, Svět v obrazech, 1966