Description
Book SynopsisCelebrating the generous gift of Barbara Hepworth's plasters to The Hepworth Wakefield by the Hepworth Estate, this groundbreaking publication combines a fully illustrated catalogue of the sculptor's surviving prototypes in plaster, and occasionally aluminium, with a detailed analysis of her working methods and a comprehensive history of her work in bronze. In addition, insights into the building which will be home to the collection are provided through essays exploring the history of The Hepworth and, in a contribution by David Chipperfield, the design of the new museum by his architectural practice. A fascinating account of the sculptor's connections with Wakefield Art Gallery also features.
The Hepworth's collection of over 40 unique, unknown sculptures are the surviving working models from which editions of bronzes were cast. They range in size from works that can be held in the hand to monumental sculptures, including the
Winged Figure for John Lewis's Oxford Street headquarters. The majority are original plasters on which the artist worked with her own hands and to scale. Providing a unique insight into Hepworth's working processes, on which little has been written,
Barbara Hepworth: The Plasters will enhance appreciation of her work as a whole. Drawing extensively on archival records and photographs, this publication is an important source for information about a significant collection of work, the gallery which houses it and Hepworth in general.
Trade Review'Sophie Bowness's magnificent catalogue richly illustrates the works and illuminates their histories through archival photographs ...Bowness's essay gives much-needed attention to Hepworth's studio practice, as well as to her relations with foundries, and details the evolutions of her public commissions' TLS '...beautifully produced with a collection of scholarly yet accessible essays and a host of high quality illustrations.' Cassone
Table of ContentsContents: Preface, Simon Wallis; Coming Home: Barbara Hepworth and the Wakefield Art Gallery Collection, Frances Guy; Developing The Hepworth Wakefield to Start of Construction, 1996 to 2007, Gordon Watson; The Hepworth Wakefield, David Chipperfield; Barbara Hepworth's Studio Practice: Plaster for Bronze, Sophie Bowness; Catalogue of the Plasters and other Prototypes in the Hepworth Gift, Sophie Bowness, with information on technique and conservation by Jackie Heuman and Tessa Jackson; The Conservation of the Gift, with a Glossary of Technical Terms, Jackie Heuman; Chronology; Select Bibliography; Index.
