LONDON—Landscapes—tree trunks, the texture and variety of grasses, pebbles, all of nature’s

MOORE INFORMATION "Henry Moore at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew" The gardens are easily accessible by subway from central London; take London’s District Line to Kew Palace and the Royal Botanic Gardens, about a 30-minute ride. www.henry-moore-fdn.co.uk

shape’s and forms—were among what sculptor Henry Moore called his major “sources of energy,” so it seems fitting that some 28 monumental Moore bronzes will be exhibited throughout the vast lawns and formal gardens of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew (Sept. 15–March 30, 2008). The Henry Moore Foundation is curating this landmark exhibition, the first in nearly 20 years, assembling works that have never been seen together, as well as some that have never before been seen in London. (“Henry Moore at the Serpentine” exhibited in Kensington Gardens in 1978.)

Moore (1898–1986) preferred his large-scale cast bronze sculptures in a natural setting; indeed, man’s harmonious relationship to the natural world was one of the fundamentals of his work. Further, he expressed ambivalence about total abstraction, writing that the ultimate goal of sculpture was “an intense life of its own, independent of the object it may represent.” Perhaps this is why his works, with titles like “Internal-External Forms” and “Large Two Forms,” tend to be ambiguous. And in London’s clear, cool fall light, Moore’s sculptures take on prominence.