£100,000 grant to help conclude public appeal to save iconic sculpture by artist Barbara Hepworth
The Julia Rausing Trust is pleased to announce that it has granted £100,000 to The Hepworth Wakefield and Art Fund, helping to conclude the public appeal to raise £3.8 million to keep an iconic sculpture by artist Barbara Hepworth, Sculpture with Colour (Oval Form) Pale Blue and Red, in the United Kingdom.
The Trust is part of a group of funders enabling the outstanding sculpture, created by a titan of modern British art, to be acquired as part of the UK’s national collection. The success of the appeal means that, for the first time since its completion in 1943, the piece will be able to go on permanent public display in The Hepworth Wakefield, an art gallery in Hepworth’s hometown of Wakefield, West Yorkshire.
Once acquired, the sculpture will enhance the gallery’s ability to tell the full story of Hepworth’s career and pioneering creativity, enabling communities, schools, students and culture enthusiasts from across the UK and further afield to appreciate the full scale of Hepworth’s art for generations to come.
Anne Dodwell, Programme Director – Arts and Heritage at The Julia Rausing Trust, said “We are delighted to be part of a group of donors helping to save this remarkable Hepworth sculpture for the nation. Supporting the arts was an important part of Julia Rausing’s giving and this acquisition will ensure Barbara Hepworth’s sculpture can be admired by the public and local communities for many years to come”.
Laura Smith, Interim Artistic Director at The Hepworth Wakefield, said “We are incredibly grateful to all who have come together to save this exceptional sculpture for the nation, including The Julia Rausing Trust, whose generous support helped bring the appeal to a close. We are thrilled at the opportunity to bring this important work to its permanent new home in Wakefield, enabling us to tell the full, rich story of Hepworth’s career and inspire our audiences well into the future.”
Whilst the Trust generally doesn’t fund acquisitions in its arts and heritage programmes, this is an exceptional case where Trustees saw the importance of the piece and the value that the acquisition would bring to the gallery and local community.
19th August 2025