St Albans Museum to open largest exhibition of Henry Moore mining art

'Henry Moore: Drawing in the Dark' will open to the public tomorrow (Friday, December 16), following an opening event at the museum tonight.

READ MORE

• 'Stolen' Christmas Nutcracker returned with note and gift
• Father Christmas attends St Albans school's early morning club

The artist, famous for his sculptures and drawings of London during the Blitz, was the son of a miner from Castleford in Yorkshire.

In 1942, he spent a week in the mine where his father had worked, and created a series of sketches.

The exhibition will run from tomorrow until April. (Image: Pearce Bates)

These were then developed into layered and detailed pieces of art over the next six months.

'Henry Moore: Drawing in the Dark' will be the largest exhibition of these pieces to be shown.

A range of pieces are included the exhibition. (Image: Pearce Bates)

Prior to the exhibition's official opening, The Herts Advertiser was invited to take sneak peek.

Within the collection were not only Henry Moore's emotionally charged - yet serenely produced - pieces of art, but also a number of ways in which visitors can immerse themselves into his story.

Touchscreens, a video, and crayons are all available for viewers to interact with.

Henry Moore's words are present throughout the exhibition. (Image: Pearce Bates)

A number of items used in mines are also loaned from the National Coalmining Museum, and used as a link between Henry Moore's art and the reality of coal mining.

The collection is named after a book written by art historian Chris Owen.

Speaking of the exhibition, the historian said: "It is hard to imagine what it must be like, to 'draw in the dark', as Henry Moore did in a Yorkshire coal mine for a week in 1942.

Discovery, excitement and contemplation are all promised within the exhibition. (Image: Pearce Bates)

"Representing miners emerging from the dusty darkness was a real challenge.

"And add to that, the physical discomfort of working 1,400 feet underground in conditions which Moore himself described as 'like hell'.

"This exhibition will reveal how Moore tackled these difficulties.

"The resulting drawings are both powerful and haunting."

The exhibition is named after Chris Owen's book 'Drawing in the Dark'. (Image: Pearce Bates)

Signed copies of Chris Owen's book are available within the museum's gift shop.

St Albans Museums' audience development manager Annabel Lucas added: “It is thrilling to bring such a remarkable collection of drawings and sculptures by Henry Moore to St Albans.

"We are delighted to unite so many of the coal mining drawings to appreciate their intensity and poignancy, and to reflect on their significance within Moore’s wider oeuvre.

A number of ways to interact with Henry Moore's story are present in the exhibition. (Image: Pearce Bates)

"Through the pages and pages of development sketchbook drawings, the exhibition offers us new insight into the working practices of Britain’s greatest modern artist and invites us to look afresh at Moore as a sculptor.”

Lastly, Cllr Allison Wren of St Albans City and District Council, added: "We are delighted to be the first gallery in the UK to focus specifically on these remarkable drawings.

One of Henry Moore's many pieces included in the exhibition. (Image: PR4 Media)

"It is a fantastic collaboration, and we are extremely grateful to Arts Council England for its funding support to the many lenders involved including the Henry Moore Foundation, the Henry Moore family, the British Museum and the National Coalmining Museum."