Henry Moore Foundation Opens Redeveloped Barn Gallery at Perry Green Estate

The Henry Moore Foundation has transformed a former storage barn at Henry Moore's Perry Green estate in Hertfordshire into a new gallery and education complex called Sheep Field Barn. Opening on April 1, the £5 million renovation by architecture firm DSDHA creates exhibition spaces and dedicated learning studios. One gallery presents a comprehensive overview of Moore's life and artistic practice, drawing from the foundation's extensive collection and archives. The inaugural temporary exhibition focuses on Moore's Shelter Drawings from the 1940s, depicting Londoners during the Blitz. Foundation director Godfrey Worsdale emphasizes the space's educational mission, noting it serves diverse audiences from students to scholars. The project is fully funded by the Henry Moore Foundation, which reported total funds of £127.4 million in its 2023-24 annual report. Concurrently, the foundation is organizing a major outdoor exhibition at London's Kew Gardens featuring thirty of Moore's works from May 2026 through January 2027. Moore originally moved to the Perry Green property in 1940 after his London home was bombed, remaining there for four decades. The 72-acre estate now displays many of his significant sculptures, including Large Reclining Figure from 1984.