Ping-pong king | Henry Moore anniversary
Michael Ayrton (1921-1975), Henry Moore Playing Table-Tennis, Forte de Marmi 1966, Inscribed Henry-Forte de Marmi ‘66/score: 21-5, 21-8, 21-7. Pencil and wash. 19 ¼ x 15 in (50 x 39 cm.) Courtesy of Christopher KingzettHappy 125th birthday Henry Moore, sculptor, draftsman… and accomplished ping-pong player.
Moore was born on July 30 1898, in Castleford, Yorkshire. His father worked at the local pit, but was determined his seven children should pursue different careers, and Moore decided to become a sculptor at the age of 11, after studying the work of Michelangelo at Sunday School.
He went on, of course, having recovered from being gassed on the Western Front, to become one of the country’s leading modernist artists, best known for his monumental semi-abstract bronze sculptures, located worldwide. He was also an accomplished draftsman, employing a signature, scribbly style.
Art was not his only passion, however. He was also a table-tennis enthusiast, whose rivals included Ben Nicholson (against whom he played a unique variant of the game dubbed Hazard Pong) and the artist and writer Michael Ayrton. This image of a determined Henry Moore, waiting to return serve, was executed by Ayrton in 1966, at the Yorkshireman’s Italian retreat in Forte di Marmi, on the Tuscan seaside. It is in the collection of Christopher Kingzett, who will show it at British Art Fair 2023. Please note the inscribed score in the caption. Presumably Moore won the game: by all accounts, he usually did.
Henry Moore, as ever, will be strongly represented at this year’s British Art Fair. Osborne Samuel regularly sell his works, and several of his drawings are currently being exhibited at their Summer Show in Mayfair. He will also be exhibited at British Art Fair by Stow Art House, Harry Moore Gwyn, inter alia.