WAKEFIELD'S new £36m art gallery, The Hepworth, opened with a blaze of publicity, a brass band concert, children's playground, a giant screen and much more paraphernalia of one kind or another.
There was a total of 8,500 visitors on the first day.
Has it all been worth if? I think the original estimate for the building was around £18m, if I remember rightly. But Wakefield now has somewhere to rival any gallery outside London, I should think.
Award-winning architect David Chipperfield has designed a building which to some looks prosaic on the outside, with its grey concrete, but inside there’s a concrete expression of his skills in the 10 galleries which now house such an interesting heritage of art – from early drawings of the famous Chantry Chapel, almost opposite the riverside Hepworth, through a plethora of Barbara Hepworth’s sculptures and on to an exhibition of contemporary sculpture by Eva Rothschild.
The gallery’s huge windows create great views over the river and Wakefield.
There’s a classy exhibition of modern art from the Wakefield Permanent Collection – from Peter Lanyon, Roger Fry, Ben Nicholson and other members of the St Ives Group, of which Wakefield-born Hepworth was such a prominent member.
She had studied in Leeds and the Royal College of Art, like another famous Yorkshire artist, Henry Moore, who is represented by one or two sculptures at The Hepworth, and also by his drawings, including those of Londoners sheltering from Nazi bombers in underground stations during the Second World War.
Hepworth’s work, inspired by both the Yorkshire landscape and the pre-historic standing stones of Cornwall, was often carved directly in wood or stone – an innovation in those days.
But one of the main attractions at the new gallery, the 44 Hepworth Plasters – a gift from the Hepworth Estate – includes pieces in aluminium and plasters intended for conversion to bronze sculptures.
The sculptor’s well known stringed pieces are included in The Hepworth’s spaciously laid out galleries, so there is plenty to inspect and browse over.
It is worth noting that at the time she was working, her modernist approach to sculpture – brilliantly reflected in The Family of Man at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park – amazed the local people, who often called her “mad”.
She was often thought to be “in the shadow” of Henry Moore, but her work ranks alongside his in the skill of its craftsmanship and its impact on the international art scene.
The mother of triplets, the sculptor was always devoted to her work. She died tragically in a fire at her home in St Ives in May 1875, probably caused by a discarded cigarette it is believed – she was a compulsive smoker.
Of her legacy to the field of art there is no doubt, and her work now rightly takes pride of place in super surroundings at the new Hepworth.
Visitors will also enjoy Eva Rothschild’s exhibition, with some biggish pieces, rich in approach and variety, which are a god foil for the rest of the work on display.
Tate chairman Sir Nicholas Serota, says: “The Hepworth, Wakefield, is one of the most exciting and beautiful galleries in the United Kingdon. I think the Hepworth is a great building and it will offer a wonderful day out for people to come and experience Wakefield in a new way.”
Councillor Peter Box, leader of Wakefield Council, says he hopes that this new sharing of the works of Hepworth and Moore will bring in around 150,000 visitors a year from the UK and overseas and is an example of the confidence and ambition they have in Wakefield.
