Favorite Work of Art - Hepworth

In the seventies, the Dutch produced a funny little metal shape to put in your pocket.  About the size of a fat quarter, it was to help those trying to quit smoking by being a comfortable shape for your fingers to play with.  I was trying to quit at the time and found the shape of some help.

Oval Shape by Barbara Hepworth

Barbara Hepworth's statues are often in a similar shape although with her work there is mostly a round clean hole through it.

Here is a work of hers at the Palm Springs Art Museum, called Two Forms with White (Greek) from 1969.

In this case her round shapes have been cut off flat at the tops, but otherwise there is no doubt as to its origin.

She also produced quite heavy bronze works that were more square in shape, such as her Family of Man located in the Yorkshire Sculpture Park.

Hepworth was a British artist who lived from 1903 to 1975.  She was a great friend of Henry Moore who also produced interesting statues.  She spent many years in St. Ives in Cornwall and sadly died there at her studio in a fire when she was 72.

She was made a dame in 1965.