As well as this cast in Perry Green, a bronze with a gold patina stands alongside the Overseas Chinese Bank Headquarters in Singapore. This commission was the fourth and final collaboration between Moore and Pei, who engineered a plaza within the complex specifically for this monumental sculpture.
This work was cast from a polystyrene and plaster enlargement of a small lead reclining figure of 1938. Moore increasingly found that carving in stone and wood had its limitations, and he wanted to preserve the integrity of the material he utilised.
Moore did not use fibreglass often, but it had certain advantages due to its lightweight nature. Fibreglass does not have the durability of bronze, or the range of finish and colour, but it enables large-scale works to be produced and transported easily.
This fibreglass cast was previously on loan to the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge. For the duration of this exhibition it has taken up residence by the lake adjacent to Kew's distinctive Palm House, a grade I listed Victorian iron-framed glasshouse.
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