Moore and Freud Family Works Converge at Hastings Contemporary

Hastings Contemporary will present 'Moore / Freud' from 13 June 2026, the first exhibition to directly compare Henry Moore and Lucian Freud through the theme of family. Twenty works—maquettes, works on paper, and paintings—explore each artist's distinct approach to intimate life. Moore's abstracted organic forms contrast with Freud's unflinching realism. Highlights include Moore's wartime Shelter Drawings of families on London Underground platforms and Freud's portraits of his children Bella, Esther, and Ali. Also on view is Bruce Bernard's photograph of Freud posing as a Moore sculpture. Director Kathleen Soriano frames the show as a rare opportunity to examine two twentieth-century titans. The exhibition does not resolve differences but holds them in productive tension.