Barbara Hepworth: Strings

Piano Nobile presents a unique exhibition about one of the most important artists and sculptors of the 20th century.

Barbara Hepworth: Strings will bring together a significant group of Barbara Hepworth’s (1903–1975) string works, drawn from public and private collections, including sculptures as well as drawings and paintings that continue the string motif. On the fiftieth anniversary of the artist’s death, the exhibition will include several works that have not been shown to the public for over half a century, as well as sculpture that has never been exhibited before. 

In 1939, Hepworth made her first sculpture threaded with strings. For the rest of her career, she intermittently combined string with works made from plaster, wood, metal and stone. These were some of her most personally distinctive artistic achievements. In concert with her sculptural practice, she also used string-like motifs in abstract paintings and drawings. 

The wide range of works on display will showcase how Hepworth’s strings are imbued with a multitude of references and interpretations. A series of works entitled Orpheus elicits myths of the Greek musician’s lyre and its deep connection to nature, and the first in the series, Theme on Electronics (Orpheus) (1956), will be exhibited to the public for the first time. Commissioned by the electronics company Mullard, the work is a cold-rolled brass sculpture that provided the stimulus for the Orpheus series which would continue for the next three years. This was an important touchstone in Hepworth’s career as she moved from stone and wood to bronze and brass.

Spanning three decades of Hepworth’s career, the exhibition features stringed sculptures in a comprehensive range of materials and sizes from large-scale works in wood and brass to small-scale works in bronze. A selection of unique and rarely exhibited stringed sculptures will include Hepworth’s only stone carving with strings, Small stone with black strings (1952). By contrast Winged Figure (1963) was a monumental work, commissioned for John Lewis’s flagship store on Oxford Street, featuring strings bursting out from the centre, attaching the bladed wings together and guiding the eye around the sculpture. Maquette for Winged Figure (1957) was the original proposal that John Lewis accepted and will be on display.

This exhibition will be an exciting and focused look at an artist who influenced the landscape of modernist art in the 20th century and continues to inspire and provoke today. It continues Piano Nobile’s recent exploration of important British artists, including a recent, critically acclaimed exhibition on Hepworth’s second husband, the artist Ben Nicholson (1894–1982).

Watch: Barbara Hepworth: Strings

A fully illustrated publication on Hepworth’s string works and their historical context will also accompany the exhibition.

Piano Nobile, 96 / 129 Portland Road, London W11 4LW

Monday–Friday 10am–6pm; Saturday 11am–4pm

Further Information:  Piano Nobile