Plenty of Worth in Moore Exhibition

Notwithstanding our high regard for Christopher Knight’s critical expertise, as members of the Beverly Hills Fine Art Commission we are compelled to respond to his relentlessly negative review of “Henry Moore: Monumental Sculpture” (Calendar, May 18, “Big and Bronze, but Do These Moores Measure Up?”).

Knight disparagingly refers to the power wielded by the Pace-Wildenstein Gallery, which organized the exhibition. It is due to the gallery’s “major clout and expense” that Beverly Hills, at no cost to the small city, is thrilled to have on public view 10 large-scale sculptures by Moore, whose synthesis of Cubism, surrealism and study of the human form have made him one of the most significant sculptors of the 20th Century.

Casts of all but one of the bronzes in the exhibition have been acquired for the permanent collections of the Billy Rose Sculpture Garden, the National Gallery in Jerusalem; the National Gallery of Modern Art in Rome; the National Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia; the Museum of Fine Arts in Montreal, and the Tate Gallery in London, among many others.

As to Knight’s dismissive review and his question whether PaceWildenstein plans any shows that will make a “difference to the art life of the city,” this exhibition certainly has. “Henry Moore: Monumental Sculpture” gives 70,000 people a day the opportunity to see fine examples of modern art by a modern master. The gallery has also arranged for docent tours, free to the public, on Sunday afternoons, and the crowds are coming.

So far, we have had nothing but positive response from the community. People have been intrigued by the sculptures, photographed and admired them. This has certainly added to the cultural life of the city and the region.

The sculptor’s daughter, Mary Moore, in her remarks at the opening ceremony, said that her father would have been “so pleased to see his work in this setting . . . this was how they were meant to be viewed.”

We know that this exhibition is just the beginning. The Beverly Hills Public Art Program has many projects planned, including other exhibitions, artist-designed construction fences, installations in storefronts.

For those people who could have been discouraged by Knight’s review, we encourage them to come and see the exhibition, which closes Aug. 15.