Hepworth’s home and studio was called “Trewyn House” and is now the Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden in St Ives in Cornwall. Her work is displayed inside the museum with some large sculptures in the garden. You can also peek into her studio and see the tools and materials that Hepworth used to make them. The museum is part of Tate St Ives, where you can also see her sculptures, drawings and prints.
Hepworth began to make sculptures and drawings using abstract shapes, instead of making art that looked like people or things. She was inspired by nature and the world around her. She remembered driving through the countryside with her family, and the shapes, bumps and ridges of the roads, hills and fields. She wanted to capture how it felt to be in both the ancient landscape and in the modern world.
Having the opportunity to visit this special Hepworth sanctuary it’s been fascinating. Seeing inside the studio, the tools, the materials, the drawings, the special objects the artist has treasured, gave me the sense that she [Barbara] is just around the corner or has walked out for a moment.
