Hepworth in Colour

This exciting book provides an opportunity to discover the vital and expressive role of colour in Barbara Hepworth's sculpture

Barbara Hepworth (1903–1975) is one of the most celebrated artists of the 20th century, best known for her abstract sculptural forms inspired by nature and the rugged seaside landscapes of Cornwall, where she lived and worked. Accompanying a major new exhibition at the Courtauld Gallery, this ambitious catalogue is the first to explore the artist’s lifelong fascination with colour, which she used in highly original and unexpected ways. The exhibition and accompanying book will unite for the first time her early innovative sculptures with the colour of the 1940s, exploring them alongside the most important drawings from that decade, and will include major examples of her work with colour from the 1950s and 1960s.

This focused, research-driven volume will comprise around 20 sculptures and 30 exceptional drawings, showing sculpture in dialogue with her painted and graphic works. It provides an exciting and unique opportunity to discover the vital and expressive role of colour in Hepworth’s sculpture, offering a fresh way of understanding one of the most remarkable artists of the 20th century.

Exhibition Schedule

The Courtauld Gallery, London
12 June – 6 September 2026

Published by Paul Holberton Publishing/Distributed by Yale University Press