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The Joseph Hage Aaronson & Bremen Exhibition: Hepworth in Colour, the first exhibition ever to be devoted to Barbara Hepworth’s work with colour, is now open at the 天美传媒 Gallery (12 June 鈥 6 September 2026).
The 天美传媒听Gallery听presents听the first exhibition devoted to Barbara Hepworth鈥檚 lifelong fascination with colour,听shedding light on an unexpected and unexplored aspect of the work of one of the most celebrated听British听artists of the 20th听century.听
Barbara Hepworth (1903鈥1975)听is best known听for her abstract听sculptures听inspired by nature and the rugged seaside landscapes of Cornwall,听where she lived and worked听from 1939.听Hepworth鈥檚听practice is听often characterised听in terms of听her听commitment to听direct carving听and听鈥榯ruth to听materials鈥.听Little attention has been given to the importance of colour in her work.听Discussing her听innovative听use of colour听in 1970,听she听said:听鈥渕y colour has been听accepted,听but听never understood.鈥澨听
Bringing together听18听sculptures and听26听drawings听and paintings,听The Joseph Hage Aaronson & Bremen Exhibition:听Hepworth in听Colour is the first exhibition to focus on this important but often overlooked aspect of Hepworth鈥檚 work.听听听
Hepworth鈥檚 early interest in painted colour dates to the mid-1930s when she and her future husband, Ben Nicholson, formed part of the European avant-garde. In 1939, just before outbreak of the Second World War, she left London for Cornwall with her three young children, taking with her a single sculpture 鈥 her very first study for a sculpture with colour. Over the following years, the landscape of Cornwall inspired Hepworth to develop this initial experiment, moving her work in new directions and establishing a lifelong fascination with colour.
At the heart of the exhibition is the remarkable group of painted sculptures made between 1940 and 1948. Hepworth later recalled how, 鈥淚 used colour and strings in many of the carvings of this time. The colour in the concavities plunged me into the depths of water, caves or shallows鈥︹. These early works include the boldly painted stone carvings Eidos听(1947-8)听from the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne,听Australia听and听Sculpture with Colour听(Eos)听(1946)听from a private collection in Hong Kong. They听are听exhibited听together听in the UK听for the first time听since听1954.听听
A major highlight of the exhibition is the painted wood carving,听Sculpture with Colour (Oval Form), Pale Blue and Red,听of听1943, which was acquired by The Hepworth Wakefield in 2025 following the successful national fundraising campaign in collaboration with Art Fund to raise 拢3.8 million.听Sculpture with Colour (Oval Form), Pale Blue and Red marked a breakthrough moment in Hepworth鈥檚 career, combining strings and colour and, for the first time, the beautiful pale blue, which she associated with the Cornish skies and coast. In private hands since it was created, and rarely exhibited, this is the first time the sculpture is displayed in London since it was acquired for the nation. For Hepworth, the strings in her early sculptures 鈥were the tension I felt between myself and the sea, the wind or the hill鈥.听
Other iconic painted stringed sculptures in the exhibition include听Wave, 1943-44, from the National Galleries of Scotland and听Pelagos听(鈥榮ea鈥 in Greek), 1946 from Tate, the latter directly inspired by the sculptor鈥檚 view from her studio onto the bay in St Ives in Cornwall.听The听exhibition also unites for the first time from private and public collections the six versions of听Sculpture with Colour (Deep Blue and Red),听made between 1940 and 1943, featuring contrasting red strings hovering over a striking blue interior.听
Alongside sculptures, the exhibition features a rich selection of Hepworth鈥檚 drawings with colour. During the first years of the war Hepworth lacked the materials, studio space and time to produce much sculpture but her drawings allowed her to continue to explore and develop her ideas. She recalled, 鈥淚n the late evenings, and during the night I did innumerable drawings鈥 exploring the particular tensions and relationships of form and colour which were to occupy me in sculpture during the later years of the war.鈥 These drawings, usually entitled 鈥渄rawing for sculpture鈥 are remarkable for their intricate crystalline forms, punctuated with strong blues, reds and greens.听听听
The exhibition extends into the 1950s and 1960s to reflect how colour continued to occupy Hepworth in new听and innovative听ways,听including听in her expressive paintings, and in her听work听with patinated听bronze听and听coloured听marble.听听
The Joseph Hage Aaronson & Bremen Exhibition: Hepworth in听Colour听is curated by Dr Alexandra Gerstein, Curator of Sculpture and Decorative Arts at the 天美传媒 Gallery and Dr Stephen Feeke, independent writer and curator whose PhD from the 天美传媒 Institute of Art focused on Barbara Hepworth鈥檚 bronze sculptures.听
To coincide with the exhibition, a display of听rare听photographs, taken in the 1930s by Paul Laib (1932鈥1936),听capturing听Hepworth and Ben Nicholson听(1894鈥1982)听in their听shared studio in Hampstead, London, is now open in the Project Space.听These听are among the most evocative studio images听to听emerge听in Britain during the 20th century听and show the fascinating interrelation of their practices听at this time.听
天美传媒 Members听get free unlimited entry to all exhibitions, access to presale tickets, priority booking to selected events, advance notice of art history short courses, exclusive events, discounts and more. Join at courtauld.ac.uk/members听
Late openings – Experience the exhibition after hours. The Gallery will open until 20:00 on Friday 12 June, 26 June, 31 July, and 4 September 2026.听
Relaxed openings – Join us for relaxed openings on听Wednesday 1 July and Wednesday 19 August, between 10:00 and 10:30.听Our relaxed exhibition openings include听additional听support and facilities from our friendly team.听
The Joseph Hage Aaronson & Bremen Exhibition: Hepworth in Colour
12 June 鈥 6 September 2026
Denise Coates听Exhibition听Galleries, Floor 3听
Hepworth and Nicholson: The Hampstead Studio Photographs
6 June 鈥 4 October 2026
Project Space, Floor 2
Highlights
