Moore and Ayrton were life-long friends who pursued an on-going rivalry at Table-Tennis; a competition which according to Ayrton’s biographer Justine Hopkins ‘’Moore usually won’’
(Justine Hopkins Michael Ayrton 1994 p.331).
Moore had a house in Forte de Marmi and in 1966 the two artists were collaborating on a commission from Thames and Hudson for a book on Giovanni Pisano.
Ayrton affectionately referred to Moore as ‘Old Henry’ and acknowledged the contribution he made to his development as a sculptor.