Moore pieces in a royal garden

Henry Moore’s huge abstract sculptures were inspired by the artist’s lifelong fascination with landscape. Now his bronze megaliths have been set amid the greens of London’s Royal Botanic Gardens.

Polished totems, pointed ovals and reclining figures -- 28 sculptures in all -- have been installed at the 300-acre World Heritage Site in Kew, south London. The striking shapes are framed by thousands of species of exotic flowers, tropical palms and towering pines at the former royal palace.

“This is the way he wanted it to be seen,” said Anita Feldman, a curator at the Henry Moore Foundation.

Moore himself is quoted in the exhibition’s program as saying “sculpture is an art of the open air.”