BARBARA HEPWORTH

Barbara Hepworth: A Landmark Presentation of Era-Defining, Seminal Works from the 1950’s and 60’s by the iconic British sculptor, Barbara Hepworth.

Blain is delighted to present an exhibition of seminal works from the 1950’s and 60’s created by the iconic, Dame Barbara Hepworth. This historic figure of the 20th century, challenged and conquered the male-dominated world of sculpture, developing a unique language of ‘pierced’ forms. The technique Hepworth pioneered was to greatly influence the trajectory of modern sculpture, and be adopted (though utilised to different artistic ends), by her close contemporary, Henry Moore.

Seminal works in this landmark presentation include: ‘Reclining Figure II’ (1955-56),  ‘Oval Form (Penwith Landscape) 1955-6 and  ‘Elegy III’ (1966).

These significant sculptures are a reminder of the central role Hepworth played in establishing international abstract modern art and demonstrate how, in the artist’s unique way, she was able to spearhead a radical shift in the conceptualisation of sculpture. Hepworth achieved this by introducing the concept of the void, championing direct material engagement and transforming the viewer from a passive observer into an active, tactile participant. Before Hepworth, Western sculpture was primarily concerned with mass, volume and figurative representation. The artist upended this paradigm through a fundamental conceptual leap. She succeeded in equating absence with presence through piercing her work, thus allowing light and air to become active components that beckon the viewer to engage more directly with her practice as their eyes travel ‘through’ her sculptures. Hepworth also moved away from traditional anatomical shapes towards biomorphic, non-representational forms. This she did in order to capture invisible tensions such as the wind, the sea and the essence of human relationships. As a consequence of Hepworth’s vision and ground-breaking techniques, her importance for modern art and for the art historical developments that followed, cannot be over-estimated.