Summary
A look at two great twentieth century sculptors, and the revolution they forged in
sculpture in Britain.
Synopsis
Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth are two of the most popular and important British sculptors of the twentieth century. Between them they revolutionised the way people thought about the human figure and sculpture, each being inspired by the art of the past and of other cultures, as well as by the landscape of Britain. At the same time, they were at the forefront of modernism – creating a new language of sculpture, full of abstract shapes, holes and magisterial forms.
This talk looks at their lives and works, but also explores the vibrant artistic world in which they moved. We’ll look at Moore’s remarkable Shelter Sketchbooks from World War Two, and see how Hepworth’s marriage to the painter Ben Nicholson changed both her sculpture and his painting. The legacy of these two great sculptors is a body of work that may be abstract, but is filled with a deep humanity and is rooted in the landscapes they loved.
