Bronze Henry Moore sculpture worth £500,000 stolen from museum dedicated to artist

By Andrea Levy

Published: 15:52 EST, 12 July 2012 | Updated: 02:08 EST, 13 July 2012


A bronze sculpture by Henry Moore valued at up to £500,000 was feared headed for the smelter last night after it was stolen from a museum dedicated to the artist.

The 22 in-high Sundial, from 1965, was taken from the grounds of The Henry Moore Foundation in Much Hadham, Hertfordshire.

The piece may have been stolen to order but police are considering the possibility it will be melted down for scrap and sold for a fraction of its value.

A bronze sculpture by Henry Moore, valued at up to £500,000, was stolen from the grounds of a Hertfordshire museum dedicated to the artist

A bronze sculpture by Henry Moore, valued at up to £500,000, was stolen from the grounds of a Hertfordshire museum dedicated to the artist

A bronze statue worth £3m million was stolen from the same museum in 2005.

The two-tonne piece was never recovered and officers later said they believed it had been melted down. It would have only fetched around £5,000 on the open market.

CCTV pictures showed three men using a crane to load the the piece, called Reclining Figure, on to the back of a Mercedes lorry.

A Hertfordshire Police spokeswoman said yesterday: ‘We have got two lines of enquiry.

British artist Henry Moore, who died in 1986, became well known for his large-scale abstract cast bronze and carved marble sculptures.

British artist Henry Moore, who died in 1986, became well known for his large-scale abstract cast bronze and carved marble sculptures.

'It could have been stolen to put into another display or it could have been stolen to be melted down.

'We are keeping an open mind.’

The sundial was in the gardens of Moore’s former house, Hoglands, and was located so that it could be viewed from the sitting room.

It was secured to a pedestal by four metal brackets. Details of its exact weight were not available last night.

Police have not said how it was removed but they confirmed it was taken between Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning.

Detective inspector Paul Watts said: ‘This Sundial sculpture is a valuable piece and we are very keen to speak to anyone who may have seen it since 4.30pm on July 10.’

Richard Calvocoressi, director of The Henry Moore Foundation, said he was ‘deeply saddened’ by the loss.

He added: ‘We take our care of Henry Moore’s sculptures extremely seriously and have installed heightened security measures here in recent years.’

Yorkshire-born Moore, the son of a coal miner, lived from 1898 to 1986 and is considered Britain’s greatest sculptor.