Mother and Child

Mother and Child is a bronze sculpture depicting a mother and her infant in close physical contact. The forms flow smoothly with gentle curves that convey the tenderness and bond between the two figures.

The work was created in 1940 by British sculptor Dora Gordine during a period when World War II constrained access to materials. Despite these wartime limitations, the artist produced a piece that demonstrated artistic innovation.

The sculpture shows how twentieth century artists rethought the theme of motherhood by blending classical ideals with modern expression. Visitors notice a work that speaks to timeless human relationships through a distinctly contemporary formal language.

The sculpture is displayed in the permanent galleries of the Indianapolis Museum of Art and can be viewed during regular opening hours. It is helpful to walk around it from different angles, as the work reveals its full impact when seen from multiple viewpoints.

Gordine worked as both a sculptor and an architect, and she brought both disciplines into this piece. This dual expertise resulted in carefully considered spatial relationships between the mother and child that reveal her attention to both form and function.