| The Hepworth Wakefield | |
|---|---|
The Hepworth Wakefield and the River Calder |
|
| Established | 2011 |
| Location | Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England |
| Type | Art Gallery |
| Website | The Hepworth Wakefield |
The Hepworth Wakefield is an art gallery in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England, which opened on 21 May 2011. The gallery, is situated on the south side of the River Calder and takes its name from artist and sculptor Barbara Hepworth who was born and educated in the city.[1]
The gallery was designed by the British architect David Chipperfield and built by Laing O'Rourke with funding from Wakefield Council, Arts Council England and the Heritage Lottery Fund. Yorkshire Forward, the Homes and Communities Agency, and the European Regional Development Fund have also supported the building of the gallery alongside a number of charitable trusts, corporations and private individuals.
It is hoped that the gallery will add about £3 million to the local economy and will attract 150,000 visitors in its first year.[2] Five weeks after opening, the gallery clocked up 100,000 visitors.[3]
The Hepworth Wakefield is a cluster of ten trapezoidal blocks which form the structure; the upper-level galleries are lit by natural light from large windows in the pitched roofs.[4] Its windows frame views of the river and historic waterfront and the city skyline. The façade of the building was made on site using self-compacting pigmented concrete, the first of its kind in the United Kingdom. The material was selected by the architects to emphasise the sculptural appearance of the building. The gallery will have ground-floor visitor facilities including a café and restaurant overlooking the river, a learning studio, a 100-seat auditorium and shop.[5] The building's brutalist design is not universally popular among the local population which has, via the local council, contributed £18 million towards the cost.[6]
The Hepworth's 1,600 square metres of purpose-built gallery space houses 44 plaster and aluminum working models donated by the late artist's family, alongside temporary exhibitions of contemporary art.[7] Wakefield's art collection, spanning the 16th century to the present day, will also be on display, including works by Henry Moore, who was born in Castleford in the Wakefield district, Ben Nicholson, Graham Sutherland, Paul Nash, Jacob Epstein, Walter Sickert, Anthony Caro, Ivon Hitchens, LS Lowry, and David Hockney.[8][5] It is anticipated that the gallery will attract international contemporary art and historical exhibitions to Wakefield.
The gallery is a partner of Tate Plus, a project aimed at increasing public access to the national collection of British and international modern and contemporary art.[9]