Henry Moore was an English artist and sculptor known for his abstract bronze sculptures of human figures and organic forms. He was born in Castleford, West Yorkshire, and studied at Leeds School of Art and the Royal College of Art in London. Moore's early work was influenced by the prehistoric art of Mexico and the indigenous peoples of the Americas, as well as the works of European artists such as Auguste Rodin and Constantin Brancusi. His sculptures often feature biomorphic shapes and hollowed-out spaces that evoke the natural world. Moore was also known for his public commissions, including the bronze sculpture "Reclining Figure" in the UNESCO headquarters in Paris and "Nuclear Energy" in the University of Chicago. He was awarded the Order of Merit in 1963 and the Companion of Honour in 1955, and was knighted in 1953. Moore's work is widely celebrated and can be found in major collections and public spaces around the world, including the Tate Modern in London, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C.