Barbara Hepworth Biography

Barbara Hepworth was an English artist and sculptor. She was one of the most outstanding and influential women artists of the twentieth century. Her artistic works were among the earliest abstract sculptures produced in England. Eldest of the four children in the Hepworth family, she developed an early fascination with natural forms and textures and decided to become a sculptor when she was a teenager. She received her training in sculpture from the Leeds School of Art and later went on to earn a county scholarship at the Royal College of Art. After finishing her studies at the college, she traveled to Italy and learned the art of carving the marble. Meanwhile, she also got married and upon returning to London became one of the leading figures in the 'new movement', associated with direct carving. She held successful joint exhibitions and received appreciation for her earliest works which seemed to be naturalistic with simplified features. Over time, her artistic talent matured and she began experimenting with new wood carvings that incorporated string and metal. Later, an increase in demands and public commissions encouraged her to employ assistants for her work and also to produce editions in bronze. She spent her later life serving as a mentor to dozens of other artists and writers. She is rightfully regarded as the most enduring artist of her times whose landscapes and linear abstract works are quite breathtaking in their clarity and vision