Date: 30/09/05
Source: BBC
A new art gallery featuring the work of Wakefield-born sculptor Dame Barbara Hepworth is set to transform her home city thanks to a major funding boost.
The gallery, to be designed by renowned architect David Chipperfield, has secured £4.9m of lottery funds.
It will house the city's collection of 20th Century British art, including 30 original Hepworth plasters.
The new site will open in 2008 and form a key part of the city's historic waterfront conservation area.
Fiona Spiers, regional manager for the Heritage Lottery Fund, said: "Barbara Hepworth is one of the most popular 20th century sculptors and what better place than Wakefield, her birthplace, to house some of her work in such a dynamic setting.
Cultural map
"This ambitious project will transform this area of Wakefield by using its historic and artistic heritage to act as a catalyst for further economic regeneration for the city and its surrounding areas.
"However, the hard work starts here for the partners to secure the remainder of the funding for this flagship project, which will undoubtedly put Wakefield firmly on the cultural and tourist map of Yorkshire and beyond."
The Arts Council has already agreed to put in £5m and Wakefield Council has applied for further funding from regional development agency Yorkshire Forward.
Sir Alan Bowness, son-in-law of Barbara Hepworth and former director of the Tate Gallery, said: "It is wonderful news that the Heritage Lottery Fund has agreed to support the Wakefield art gallery project.
"David Chipperfield's building will provide the perfect home for the collection of original plaster sculptures that the family is giving to Wakefield, Barbara Hepworth's birthplace."
The project will also allow works by some of the most significant British artists in the 20th century, including Anthony Cato, Ben Nicholson, LS Lowry and Henry Moore, who was born just a few miles from the proposed gallery site.
