Barbara Hepworth, Drawings From The 1940s

Barbara Hepworth, drawings from the 1940s

Exhibition Book, 12 October - 18 November 2005

Published by Hazlitt Holland-Hibbert. Designed by Tim Harvey, printed by Balding + Mansell

Drawings from the 1940s, an exhibition catalogue exploring a period in the artist's life where she created drawings of surgeons at work in hospital operating rooms.

Barbara Hepworth (1903-1975) was a pioneering figure in modern sculpture, renowned for her organic forms and innovative approach to space and material. Rooted in a deep connection to landscape and the human experience, her work explores the relationship between form and environment, often characterised by smooth, pierced surfaces and dynamic voids.

Inspired by the natural world, Hepworth’s sculptures evoke a sense of harmony, balancing solidity with lightness, weight with air. She worked primarily in wood, stone, and later, bronze, embracing abstraction while retaining a profound sensitivity to human presence. Her sculptures invite interaction, drawing the viewer into a dialogue between material, shape, and the spaces they create. Through her bold yet meditative compositions, Hepworth redefined modern British sculpture, leaving a lasting legacy that continues to shape contemporary artistic practice.

We have acquired this book from the estate of Mollie and Graham Dark.

Mollie & Graham met in Wimbledon in 1978. He, a Cornishman, born in Gulval in 1930, acquired an early appreciation of art visiting Newlyn Gallery with his family. In his early career Graham worked in London writing for the Daily Express and he was responsible for one of the first Arts columns in a tabloid paper, but in 1960 he opened an antique shop in Chelsea.

Inspired by trips to Italy, he displayed early furniture and antiquities in an uncluttered modern setting, a technique he later utilised in his own home. The Darks moved back to Cornwall in 1980 and at their home in Flushing, and later Truro, curated an impressive body of art and antiquities with a particular focus on Cornish artists such as Paul Feiler and Terry Frost, who both became close friends.

The paintings were displayed alongside mid-century modern designer furniture by Eames, Bertoia and Magistretti, and arrangements of antiquities, thought of as 'ensembles' by Graham. Warm, charming, and generous hosts, they entertained their artistic circle of friends in their exquisitely arranged home, and it is a privilege for us to handle their beautiful possessions today.