Barbara Hepworth’s stone and bronze sculptures are recognised around the world for their distinct, curved forms. The oval alabasters and gleaming bronzes, punctured with holes and lozenge-like gaps, were all made in contrasting tones and surfaces, creating a new aesthetic.
Now, Hepworth’s unseen letters to the London foundry owner who made many of her bronze pieces offer a revelatory new guide to her work. The bundle of letters and draft sketches, which cover a decade of work and will be sold for the first time this week, also reveal the exacting standards of this pioneering woman, hailed as one of Britain’s most important artists.
