A comprehensive retrospective at the Maeght Foundation in Saint-Paul-de-Vence celebrates the work of British sculptor Barbara Hepworth, tracing her artistic journey from her modernist sculptures of the 1920s and 1930s through to her monumental commissions at the end of her career. This luminous exhibition offers a rare opportunity to discover the work of this immense artist, who has been rarely exhibited in France.
In England, her homeland, Barbara Hepworth (1903-1975) is considered the queen of modern sculpture. However, in France, Hepworth remains absent from public collections and is rarely exhibited. In 2020, she received her first major spotlight at the Rodin Museum, marking a significant moment for French audiences to encounter her work.
Through this substantial retrospective, which includes sculptures as well as lithographs and drawings, the Maeght Foundation provides an opportunity to discover or rediscover this creator who rubbed shoulders with the Parisian avant-garde movements in the first half of the 20th century. She worked alongside influential artists such as Alexander Calder, Jean Arp, and Piet Mondrian, establishing herself within the international modernist community.
Hepworth is recognized as a pioneer of direct carving, breaking away from traditional modeling techniques that had dominated sculpture for centuries. She was a fellow student of Henry Moore at the Royal Academy of Art, and together they revolutionized British sculpture. Her approach to direct carving involved working directly with materials like stone, wood, and bronze, allowing the natural properties of these materials to guide and inform her artistic vision.
The exhibition showcases the evolution of Hepworth's artistic practice, demonstrating how she made materials dance through her masterful manipulation of form, texture, and space. Her works reveal a deep understanding of both the physical properties of her chosen materials and the emotional resonance they could achieve when shaped by her skilled hands. The retrospective illuminates how Hepworth's innovative techniques and artistic vision positioned her as one of the most significant sculptors of the modern era, deserving of greater recognition in the French art world.
