Three Forms (Tokyo), 1967
Dame Barbara Hepworth (1903-1975) is one of the most highly regarded sculptors of the twentieth century. Born in Yorkshire in 1903, she studied at the Leeds School of Art between 1919 and 1920, then at the Royal College of Art in London. Hepworth moved to Italy for a couple of years in 1924, not long after she completed her studies in 1923.
Hepworth's first solo exhibition was in 1929, and she became a member of the Abstraction-Création group in 1933 together with Ben Nicholson (the artist’s second husband). During the 1930s, Hepworth was in contact with a number of different artists, including Picasso, Braque, Brancusi, Arp, Mondrian, Gabo, and Calder. She made her significant move to Cornwall – accompanied by Nicholson and their five-year old triplets – in 1939, settling in St Ives and going on to exhibit her work in major exhibitions around the world.