Art Talk: Barbara Hepworth at the Rijksmuseum

In April I went to DC and as I usually do I went to the Hirshhorn sculpture Garden. In August, for my Art Talk monthly artist post I highlighted Barbara Hepworth and I found out there was Barbara Hepworth exhibit at the Rijksmusuem until October...just in time for me to see it in September when I was in Amsterdam for HiveFest!

Barbara Hepworth
Single Form (Memorial), 1961-1962
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Sculpture is one of my favorite mediums and I am a very happy girl seeing great sculptures in gardens! On the first day I was in Amsterdam I made my way to the gorgeous Rijksmuseum and wandered around the gardens.

Barbara Hepworth
Conversation with Magic Stones, 1973
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Barbara Hepworth is from England and most of these sculptures are on loan from the English gardens or parks where they are permanently located and are on exhibit at the Rijksmuseum for the first time outside the country.

What a treasure it was to see them all together and in such a gorgeous setting.

Barbara was was born in Wakefield, England in 1903. She went to school Leeds School of Art and then the Royal College of Art. She like many artist made her way to Cornwall and died there in an accidental fire in 1975.

Barbara was the oldest of four children of Gertrude and Herbert Hepworth and had four children, including triplets with her second husband, Ben Nicholson.

Part of the Family of Man and the Rijksmusuem

The Family of Man

The Family of Man was completed in 1970, toward the end of Barbara's life. The complete set consists of 9 sculptures- Young Girl, Youth, Bride and Bridegroom, Parent I and Parent II, Ancestor I and Ancestor II and Ultimate form. For this exhibit we are able to see three sculptures- Ancestor I and Ancestor II and Parent I.

I would like to visit the Yorkshire Sculpture Park and see all nine sculptures together, walking up the hill. It is interesting to see the similarities and differences in each of the forms, including the heads and wholes.


Parent I		Ancestor I and Ancestor II

Square with Two Circles

One of the things that I like about Barbara's work is that it is different depending on your location to the sculpture and the light and the location of the sculpture itself. Barbara had a fascination with negative space which add so much depth and dimension to the forms.

Square with Two Circles, 1963

Single Form (Memorial)

Single Form (Memorial), 1961-1962

Barbara started her career as a carver and worked in the natural elements of stone, wood and marble. In the 1950's she started working in bronze.

Bronze allowed her to work more quickly and to make reproductions. She stayed true to her beginnings and carved in the plaster, giving the forms beautiful texture.

This collection are from her work in the 1960s and 1970s and are all bronze. The exhibit was curated by her granddaughter Sophie Bowness who is a renowned British Historian. That makes this exhibition even more special.

Two Forms (Divided Circle)

Construction (Crucifixion)

Of all the sculptures I have seen of Barbara's in DC and here this one is very different from the rest. The lines and angles are very pronounced and it is the first time that I have seen colors such as red and blue in her sculpture.

I thought when I saw it that it was a piece from a different artist that was on permanent exhibit in the garden. Not only is this not a piece of the Rijksmuseum it is a very special loan from the Salisbury Cathedral.

Barbara was friends with Dutch painter Piet Mondrian and this has reference to Piet's abstract paintings of squares and rectangles with blocks of colors. It is also a reference to Barbara's Christianity.

Figure for Landscape

This was my favorite of the sculptures in this exhibition. The way that it curves and opens and closes is really beautiful. It also highlights Barbara's connection to human form. While her work is abstract there is often a connection to the human form.

What a wonderful experience to see eight of Barbara Hepworth's sculptures at the Rijksmuseum Gardens while I was in Amsterdam. I have more knowledge about her and a great appreciation of her work and will know be on the look out for more of her work. I also would love to see some of it in England!

Sources:
Art Talk: Barbara Hepworth
Rijksmusuem- Barbara Hepworth
Clare Lilley Introduces Barbara Hepworth: The Family of Man
Famous People- Barbara Hepworth
Wikipedia- Barbara Hepworth