Barbara Hepworth was an English sculptor, born in Wakefield, Yorkshire. She studied sculpture at the Leeds School of Art alongside Henry Moore. Hepworth attained international recognition for her highly abstract sculptures—a mode that she helped to pioneer in England. There and elsewhere, she is remembered as one of the most influential sculptors of her time.
Artwork description
Barbara Hepworth (1903-1975) was a British abstract sculptor from Wakefield, England. She studied at the Leeds School of Art, alongside Henry Moore (1898-1986), and at the Royal College of Art, London. Today, Hepworth is recognized as one of the most influential sculptors of her time, one of the first English abstract sculptors to venture into abstract work, and one of the few women artists of the early 20th century to have achieved international prominence. Her work has been exhibited at the United Nations headquarters in New York, St Catherine College, Oxford University and the Tate Gallery, London.
Square Forms and Circles is the first of seven almost identical casts, all of which were sold except for one, which was kept by Hepworth. It consists of six right-angled quadrilaterals, two of which feature circular depressions or incisions. The bronze has been selectively given a green patina, giving it a texture worn by the artist. The square shapes and circles are on display in the James Sculpture Garden.