BARBARA HEPWORTH

Life

Educated at Wakefield Girls High School, Hepworth won a scholarship to go to Leeds School of Art in 1920. There she met Henry Moore, who became a life-long friend and affectionate rival. In 1921, they went to London to study at the Royal College of Art for four years, making the occasional study trip to Paris.

In 1924, she was awarded a West Riding Scholarship for a year’s travel and went to Italy to study Romanesque and early Renaissance art, nurturing her classical sensibility. In Florence, she married fellow artist, John Skeaping, and in Rome she learned to carve marble from Giovanni Ardini.

When Skeaping became ill, he and Hepworth returned to London in 1926. In 1931, she met the painter and chair of the experimental Seven and Five society, Ben Nicholson, and they became romantically involved. She separated from Skeaping in 1931 and married Nicholson in 1938.

Nicholson and Unit One Art Movement

Nicholson was passionate about abstraction, but like Hepworth, curious about Surrealism, so they went to Paris in 1933, visiting the studios of Pablo Picasso, Constantin Brancusi, and Jean Arp. Back in London, they co-founded the Unit One art movement, which aimed at uniting the two genres. In 1934, Hepworth had triplets, but managed to continue her practice as well as raise children.

In 1935, she and Nicholson met Piet Mondrian, Wassily Kandinsky, and Naum Gabo. Some of her works began to show the influence of the School of Paris, such as the Brancusi-like Two Segments and Sphere (1935—1936), in marble.

In 1939, Hepworth and Nicholson moved to the Cornish fishing village of St. Ives where they attracted other painters and sculptors, as well as some overseas artists like Gabo. It became a very highly regarded and popular art centre, for a time second only to London.

The 1940s

Due to the war, and one studio being destroyed by bombs, Hepworth and Nicholson moved to Carbis Bay at the end of 1939, where there was a studio and garden. In 1947, Hepworth began a series of drawings of surgeons operating in hospitals. She saw multiple connections between artists and hospital staff: ‘There is, it seems to me, a close affinity between the work and approach of both physicians and surgeons, and painters and sculptors.’

Key Artworks

Single Form (1961–64)

One of Barbara Hepworths most significant works, Single Form (1961–64), stands outside the United Nations headquarters in New York. Commissioned in memory of UN Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld, the sculpture is Hepworth’s largest and exemplifies her exploration of verticality and inner space. Its abstract form, pierced by a single oval, reflects her interest in the relationship between mass and void.

Winged Figure (1963)

Another notable piece, Winged Figure (1963), is installed on the façade of the John Lewis department store on Oxford Street, London. This aluminium sculpture, with its soaring lines and tensioned rods, conveys a sense of uplift and aspiration, embodying Hepworth’s belief in the spiritual potential of abstract art.

The Family of Man (1970)

The Family of Man (1970) is a series of nine bronze sculptures representing human figures in abstract form. Displayed at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, the ensemble reflects Hepworth’s enduring interest in the human figure and communal relationships, rendered through simplified, monumental forms.

Meridian (1958–60)

Originally commissioned for State House in London, Meridian showcases Hepworth’s engagement with architectural spaces. The sculpture’s dynamic, spiralling form contrasts with the building’s rigid geometry, illustrating her ability to create dialogue between sculpture and environment.

Exhibitions

Barbara Hepworth’s art has been exhibited widely around the world. The Fundació Joan Miró continues to promote the artist’s work in Spain and internationally.

Solo exhibtions include:

• Barbara Hepworth: In Equilibrium, Heide Museum of Modern Art, Melbourne (2022)
• Barbara Hepworth: Art & Life, Hepworth Wakefield Gallery, Wakefield; Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh; Tate St Ives; Towner, Eastbourne (2021–2023)
• Barbara Hepworth, The Musée Rodin, Paris (2019)
• Barbara Hepworth, A Matter of Form, Pace Gallery, New York (2018)

Legacy

Hepworth’s legacy is preserved at the Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden in St Ives, managed by Tate. The museum offers insight into her working environment and displays a significant collection of her sculptures, providing a comprehensive view of her contribution to modern art.

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Ocula | 2025