On view at the AGO in gallery 124 is a selection of portraits of mothers – some posed, some depicted going about their everyday lives. Three of the women are portrayed by their own children, providing viewers with an intimate perspective of these artists’ mothers. 

This month’s RBC Art Pick is Henry Moore’s (1898 – 1986) sketch of his mother: The Artist’s Mother (1927). While Moore is widely known for his sculptures, drawing was a central aspect of his practice. He drew prolifically, starting during his time as a schoolboy and continuing throughout his life. Of the thousands of drawings Moore created in his lifetime, portraiture constituted a minor portion. However, when he did draw portraits, they were often of his family, including his sister, Mary Garrould; his wife, Irina Radetsky; his daughter, Mary Moore; and, of course, his mother, Mary Baker Moore.  

In The Artist’s Mother, Moore’s mother is depicted seated and focused on her needlework. At the time of this portrait, Moore and his mother were staying with his sister and her husband in Colchester, England. He rendered this sketch on a page from the local newspaper The Essex County Standard. Moore depicts his mother affectionately, outlining her hairstyle, glasses, furrowed brow and busy hands as she focuses calmly on her task. As you can tell from this work, Moore’s portraits were often not concerned with detailed facial features. Rather, he focused on body proportions and portraying the general disposition of the body to reveal the character of his sitter. 

Installation view: Tissot: Women and Time, December 21st, 2024 - June 29th, 2025, Art Gallery of Ontario. Artworks: Henry Moore, The Artist's Mother, 1927, © The Henry Moore Foundation; Constance Mary Pott, The Artist’s Mother, c.1895; Richard Josey, Arrangement in Grey and Black: Portrait of the Painter's Mother, 1879. Photo: AGO. 

The portrait on view at the AGO is one of six portraits Moore drew of his mother during this time. He created four of the portraits on pages from The Essex County Standard, and most of them depict his mother engaging with needlework. Mary Baker Moore was around 67 years old when Moore drew these portraits. Born into a coal mining family as the seventh of eight children, Moore has shared that his mother was an unresting source of stability and protection in his life. Moore named his daughter, and only child, after his mother, who passed two years before she was born.  

The Artist’s Mother came to the AGO as part of Moore’s monumental gift to the Gallery in 1974. This gift included 101 sculptures, 57 drawings, and 150 prints. This gift made the AGO home to the largest public collection of Moore’s work and one of the most comprehensive archives of Moore's prints. 

“It is remarkable to see into this intimate setting where Moore has simultaneously captured both the essence of his mother and via the daily press, a precise moment of time,” states RBC Curator, Stefan Hancherow. “As this artwork nears its one hundredth year, it seems apt to reflect on moments shared with family and loved ones, and how those precious moments have been and continue to be shared across generations. The RBC Art Collection is also nearing its centenary and continues to celebrate art and artists that span time and build upon legacies.” 

Henry Moore’s The Artist’s Mother is on view alongside other portraits of mothers at the AGO on Level 1 in gallery 124.