“All my early memories are of forms and shapes and textures. Moving through and over the West Riding landscape with my father in his car, the hills were sculptures: the roads defined the forms…”
- Barbara Hepworth
Wakefield district is the birthplace of modern British sculpture.
Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore – two of the greatest artists of the 20th Century – were born in the district, just five years and a few miles apart.
The Hepworth Wakefield will celebrate Hepworth and Moore’s association with Wakefield and the inspiration they drew from the Yorkshire landscape.
The Hepworth will show a significant collection of work by both artists, including sculptures and drawings from some of the most important stages in their careers. Its centrepiece will be a collection of original sculptures by Hepworth that have never been seen in public before.
Along with works by Hepworth and Moore, The Hepworth Wakefield will show its permanent collection featuring works by artists including Ben Nicholson, Ivon Hitchens, Graham Sutherland, Paul Nash, Jacob Epstein, Walter Sickert, Anthony Caro, LS Lowry and David Hockney. A programme of changing exhibitions will bring major contemporary art shows to Yorkshire by some of the world's leading artists.
The striking new building, designed by award-winning architect David Chipperfield, will be a new social space on Wakefield’s newly-regenerated waterfront. Visitors will be able to take part in a varied programme of talks, tours, workshops, film-screenings and concerts; relax in the stylish café and restaurant offering seasonal, locally sourced food; or browse a unique range of prints, publications and gifts in the gallery shop.
The Hepworth Wakefield will be a place for enjoyment, inspiration, socialising, learning and business, which alongside the Yorkshire Sculpture Park and Henry Moore Institute in Leeds, will make Yorkshire a key destination for lovers of art, architecture and design.
