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Barbara Hepworth

Art & Life
4.31 goodreads logo

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( 77 ratings, 2 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The book Barbara Hepworth by Eleanor Clayton offers a detailed exploration of the life and work of the renowned British sculptor. It dives into Hepworth's artistic evolution and personal journey, highlighting how her innovative approach and distinctive style significantly impacted the art world. The narrative captures her commitment to her craft and provides insight into the cultural influences that shaped her work.
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Format: Hardback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you're captivated by modern art and sculpture, as it offers a deep dive into the life and work of one of the 20th century's most influential sculptors. Ideal for art enthusiasts, it explores the artistic journey and innovative techniques of a pioneering female artist in the abstract art movement.

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The first biography to look at the entirety of Barbara Hepworth's multi-faceted artistic practice.

The first fully illustrated biography to look at the entirety of Barbara Hepworth's multi-faceted artistic practice

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Barbara Hepworth is one of the most important artists of the 20th century, yet she has been the subject of relatively few monographs in comparison to her male counterparts. This biography moves beyond the traditional narratives of modernism, truth to materials, and the landscape to provide a penetrating insight into Hepworth's remarkable life, work, and legacy.

Barbara Hepworth was reproached for single-mindedness in her lifetime, with critics and commentators framing both the artist and her work as 'cool and restrained'. A continued focus on her modernist abstract sculpture of the 1930s and its relation to her male contemporaries has left vast swathes of her work and related passions overlooked.

This fully illustrated biography reflects for the first time Hepworth's multi-faceted, interdisciplinary, and networked approach, shedding light as never before on her interests in music, dance, poetry, contemporary politics, science, and technology. It explores her engagement with these fields through friends and networks as well as her artistic practice, and it examines the ways in which she synthesised sometimes seemingly conflicting disciplines and ideas into one coherent and inspirational philosophy of art and life.

With 178 illustrations

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Eleanor Clayton's biography offers a meticulous and well-researched exploration of Barbara Hepworth's life, drawing on unpublished letters to paint a nuanced picture of the artist beyond clichés. Reviews highlight the book's balance of Hepworth's personal struggles and professional achievements, illuminating her relationships, motherhood, and artistic development with a clear narrative and stunning illustrations. The book is praised for bringing Hepworth's creative world vividly to life, appealing to both specialists and general readers interested in her prolific art and life.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780500094259

Publisher: Thames & Hudson Ltd

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 20 May 2021

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Thames & Hudson Ltd

Illustration: 178 Illustrations

Contributors:

  • Foreword by Ali Smith

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 165.0mm

Height: 240.0mm

Weight: 890g

Pages: 288

About the Author

Eleanor Clayton is Curator at The Hepworth Wakefield and a Barbara Hepworth specialist. As Assistant Curator: Exhibitions and Displays at Tate Liverpool (2010-14), she curated displays around Hepworth's work and contributed to the Tate's Hepworth Research Forum in the development of the exhibition 'Barbara Hepworth: Sculpture for a Modern World' at Tate Britain in 2015. Ali Smith is one of Britain's leading contemporary novelists.

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