Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden
An exhibition dedicated to the life, work and memory of the twentieth century sculptor, Dame Barbara Hepworth, the Barbara Hepworth Museum, Barnoon Hill, is situated in the coastal resort of St Ives and has been maintained by the Tate Gallery since 1980.
Barbara Hepworth was famed for creating beautiful impressions of objects rather than simple portraits of the objects themselves and became one of Britain's leading abstract artists.
Renowned for working in a variety of different mediums including wood, stone, bronze and marble, the studio and sculpture garden contains a spectacular insight into her life and a magnificent collection of her work.
Barbara Hepworth was born in Wakefield in 1903 and trained at the Leeds School of Art. She eventually settled in St Ives with her family in 1939 where she built her studio and sculpture garden. Her sculpture was influenced by nature and she drew inspiration from the dramatic coastline and landscape of Cornwall. Barbara won widespread public recognition in the last years of her life, one of the few women artists to achieve international prominence.
The sculpture garden was designed and planted by Barbara Hepworth and shows her careful selection of plants with interesting textural and sculptural qualities. She found inspiration in the garden which served as a setting for her expanding collection of sculptures. It now contains large stone carvings and a group of bronze sculptures.
Hepworth was tragically killed in a studio fire in 1975 and following her wishes her studio and garden was opened to the public in 1976. The sculptures contained within her garden are said to be some of her favourites.
Visitor Attractions in Cornwall