Hepworth in Colour
The Courtauld’s summer 2026 exhibition, Hepworth in Colour, explores a less familiar part of Barbara Hepworth’s work. We may think first of pale stone, warm wood and dark bronze, but colour was a fascination throughout her life. Vivid blues, yellows and reds appear inside carved hollows and across curved surfaces, often accompanied by fine lines of coloured string.
Seen together, these works show that the colour was never simply added decoration. A deep blue can make an opening appear to recede, while yellow seems to bring light from within. The strings stretch across the space, connecting one side to another and making tension visible.
Having come to jewellery through painting, I am fascinated by the relationship between colour and form. The drawings displayed alongside the sculptures reveal how naturally Hepworth moved between two and three dimensions, exploring many of the same ideas through line, shape and colour. The exhibition left me thinking about colour as something active within sculpture, capable of altering depth, balance and presence - and how a single decision can change the way an entire piece is experienced.